The Star Crossed Glitch
by genki-escapist
Summary: "I took something of yours, Sheldon Lee Cooper. If you can find out what it is, then maybe you can have it back." Despite that declaration of what could be a deity he didn't believe in, his life appeared to be complete. Then he met Amy Farrah Fowler.
1. Hide and seek

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**I. Hide and seek**

The Girl with the Red Straw Hat was extremely short and slight; if he didn't look closely, he might've mistaken her for a child. Long dark hair billowed about her shoulders, seeming as soft and light as gossamer riding upon a barely perceptible breeze. Her fair skin appeared to have a rosy tint, but since the hat brim shadowed her face, he couldn't be too sure. She had big, dark eyes that were almost completely obscured from view.

Her clear, high-pitched voice echoed in the softly-lit and misty surroundings.

"I took something of yours, Sheldon Cooper. If you can find out what it is, then maybe you can have it back."

* * *

><p><em>What a curious dream.<em> Sheldon mused, yawning, as he looked out the car window, seeing but not really noticing the familiar places that marked the route to work that he and Leonard took every day.

He didn't believe in a higher being, but if he did, he might've taken that presence in his dream as one. In any case, the dream had been disturbing enough that upon waking up, he had been seized by an urge to examine his prized possessions. Nothing had been amiss, but the unscheduled activity nearly made him late for the day.

"Sheldon?"

"Yes?" He jolted out of his reverie and turned to Leonard.

"Are you okay?" His roommate asked.

"Yes. I appreciate your concern." He rubbed at his bleary eyes. If he had been the type to drink coffee, one cup probably wouldn't have been enough. That unsettling dream had made for substandard nighttime rest.

"You seem really tired."

He gave Leonard a dubious look. The man might be Sheldon's best friend, but he had a tendency to state the obvious, which had been intensified by his on-off dalliance with their blonde neighbor Penny. "Yes, as anyone can tell by my little motions today, I am. I'm tired and sleepy. This is due to the fact that I had a nightmare. But this is nothing that I can't overcome with focus and determination."

His friend nodded, parking in their usual spot. "May Kolinahr serve you well today."

"You almost sound sarcastic, but I'll ignore that and direct all my energies toward staying awake." He stepped out of the car.

"See you at lunch!"

Without turning, he waved and continued walking into the building. _What if the thing I lost belonged here or was somehow involved with my job?_ Sheldon quickened his pace. He had no particular loyalty toward Caltech, but he had a respectable position and the affiliation with the university would serve him well in his goal of winning the Nobel Prize. Upon reaching his office, he had the shock of his life.

His nameplate was nowhere to be found. Empty screw holes and a more preserved surface marked the place where it once had been. Rajesh Koothrapali's nameplate was still in its usual place.

"Oh hi, Sheldon."

At the familiar voice, he spun round and grabbed Raj by the shoulders. "What's happening?"

"Sheldon, please don't freak out," the astrophysicist said. "I destroyed your nameplate."

He visualized an image of his shattered plans and he glowered at Raj, yelling through gritted teeth: "Why would you do that?"

"Sorry, sorry!" The other man cried, clasping his hands together pleadingly. "I didn't mean to, it was an accident. It's my new girlfriend's experiment. She tried stimulating the macho, alpha male instincts in me, but I just ended up with the violent and destructive part, instead of the lady's man part." He grinned, round black eyes sparkling in excitement. "She really thinks that with her knowledge of the human brain, she can actually cure me of my selective mutism. Isn't that great?"

"Yes, yes, that doesn't concern me," Sheldon interrupted. "What do you plan to do with my nameplate?"

"I ordered a replacement. It should be attached to the door by tomorrow."

"What should be in the first place is my original nameplate remaining on the door," he regarded his officemate sternly as they entered the office. "What a shock it would be for the eager minds of the world to find Dr. Sheldon Cooper's name absent from his designated door, the gateway to the working space of one of the greatest minds of the 21st Century!"

"Sorry…" Raj shuffled to his massive desk, hanging his head sheepishly. "Look, I'll buy you sashimi for lunch to make up for it."

Sheldon settled on his chair and crossed his arms. "Bribery? Really, this is the action you resort to after carelessly causing chaos to the world of Physics by eradicating the mark of Sheldon Cooper's physical presence? I only eat high-grade tuna, half fatty and half regular."

Raj nodded and gave him a thumbs-up sign. "Noted. Now we're good? Because I wanted to ask you something… the others said I needed to ask you… about dinner tonight…"

"Get to the point," he snapped.

"Well… I wanted to bring my girlfriend," Raj blurted out. "I know you don't like changing routine or adding new people to your social circle, but she's my girlfriend and I think she should know my friends—"

"Raj, as long she doesn't sit in my spot and there's enough food to feed her in addition, then you can bring your girlfriend. Heck, you can bring two girlfriends."

Raj's face broke into the biggest, brightest smile he had in a while. "That's great! I'm going to text her right now. You know Sheldon, I'm sure you'll like her and I'm not just saying that."

"I doubt it," he sniffed. He uncapped a black marker and poised his hand before the whiteboard. "Now that's settled, let's get to work."

* * *

><p>Sheldon would never admit it, but he was relieved that Raj was joining their group dinner again. He informed Leonard of Raj's upcoming presence when they reached the apartment. His roommate was silent, pondering. "And let me tell you," he added hastily, "that Raj is bringing a lady friend along."<p>

"Really?" Leonard raised both eyebrows and nudged up his glasses. "A girlfriend, huh… good for him. Well, I'm looking forward to dinner and meeting this new addition to our social circle."

"No Leonard, Raj is bringing her today only so we can make her acquaintance. She won't be added to our social circle until she has been weighed, measured, and found acceptable," Sheldon corrected.

"As long as Raj wants to bring her to our group activities, we're going to have to make her feel welcome," Leonard said. "She's his girlfriend and he's our friend. It's only natural."

_Friend._ Sheldon watched as Leonard prepared the necessities for dinner. As far as he could tell, his roommate appeared to be at ease. _Good._

Relations within their group had been strained since Penny and Raj had one night as bedmates, during the time that Leonard had been dating Raj's sister, Priya, who had since returned to India. The conflict culminated in a massive fight during which Penny revealed that they didn't really engage in coitus. Following those events, Penny was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning and Raj took to avoiding the group out of shame. Leonard had privately told Sheldon that he didn't think the lack of actual coitus was relevant, the intent was there nonetheless, but considering Penny's current alcohol-dependent state, he never pursued the issue.

There was a knock on the door. It swung open and Penny burst in, cheerfully calling: "Hi everyone!" She started upon seeing the empty living room and the two occupants in the kitchen. "Oh… no one else is here yet."

"Hi…" Leonard muttered, the corners of his mouth turning up in an expression that looked more like a grimace.

"Hey…" Penny tugged at her hair, fiddling with the ends.

Sheldon bounced uneasily on his feet, wishing he was someplace else. Or at least, that there was somebody else in the room, somebody who could do something about the uncomfortable stand-off.

"Hello!"

As if by the hand of a deity, but of course it was mere coincidence, Howard and Bernadette entered the apartment, beaming at them all. "Isn't this exciting, Raj is bringing his girlfriend!" Howard announced. The happy couple exchanged looks of what Sheldon thought might be relief.

After the entire fiasco, it had been Howard and Bernadette who took it upon themselves to integrate Raj back in the group, but their friend's presence was scarce. He never joined them in the cafeteria during lunch, and seldom attended group dinners. He came to gaming nights only after Sheldon raged at him for destroying the ideal team numbers. But perhaps now that he was pairbonded things would be different…

"A girlfriend!" Penny grinned. She didn't appear to be jealous or bothered at all. Sheldon took it as a good sign. "Tell us about this girl. How did they meet?"

Sheldon helped Leonard prepare the coffee table, while everyone sat down their usual places and Howard began the tale: "It's a funny story actually. She was supposed to be Sheldon's date."

Sheldon took his spot on the couch and frowned at Howard. "You mean in that one evening you unsuccessfully attempted to blackmail me with a hidden dirty sock, and I retaliated by thoroughly cleaning the apartment and finding the sock, which I then disposed of in the incinerator?"

"Yes, that one. Because Sheldon didn't have the grace to show up, Raj and I ended up having coffee with her—that is, we had coffee and she had tepid water—and we exchanged numbers. She was very interested in Raj's selective mutism and asked him to call her if he would allow her to stick electrodes to his head. Of course, he never did, until nearly a year ago, at that time—" They all avoided each others' eyes and Howard coughed. "Anyway, after some experiments, they started going out and they've been getting along okay, strangely enough. The way she is, I thought the only guy who she could possibly get along with would be…" For some reason, Howard stole a furtive glance at Sheldon, leaving him puzzled."Well, definitely not Raj."

Leonard and Penny exchanged confused glances. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Howard and Bernadette shared knowing looks. "She's… very unique," she said. When the other two continued staring agape at her, she added: "You'll see what I mean later."

At that moment there was a knock on the door. "They're here!" Leonard whispered excitedly.

"Thanks Captain Obvious, why are you whispering?" Penny whispered back.

The door opened and two people stepped inside. One was their exotic friend, Rajesh Koothrapali. And the other…

Sheldon felt as if his heart had jumped to his throat.

Her long, glossy brown hair swayed against her shoulders as she glanced round at them. Even through her glasses, he could discern that her eyes were more jade than emerald. She had an aloof, slightly haughty expression on her face, but when she beamed at them, her wide smile was utterly beguiling.

Raj announced: "Guys, I would like all of you to meet my girlfriend, Amy Farrah Fowler."

**Author's Notes:** This was actually the very first Shamy fanfic idea I got, but I purposely put it off for happier fic ideas since I simply prefer humorous and true-to-show show fics. But in the end, this rather angsty AU idea forced me to write it. I guess I needed to channel my less-than-happy Shamy feels into something productive. For anyone reading this, I would like to recommend reading wearyattwenty's one-shot (available in Tumblr); it could almost be a prologue for this fic. (We came up with the idea separately, but it kind of fits. Eerie, huh?)


	2. Welcome

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**II. Welcome  
><strong>

The smile froze on her face.

With all eyes upon her, Amy flashbacked to her 9th grade, when she joined the class in the third week after a freak occurrence of chicken pox. As if she wasn't already unappealing enough in her glasses, and braces, and multi-layered clothing, she had new scars all over her face. There she was, being told to introduce and integrate herself amongst them, while everyone had already huddled in groups… not that it really mattered, they wouldn't have accepted her even if she had been there on the first day anyway—

A gentle squeeze at the crook her arm roused her from her brooding. She looked up to meet Raj's warm eyes and encouraging smile.

Of course, it was different now.

"Hello," she said to the new people in this new place.

"Hello Amy," the bespectacled, dark-haired guy greeted.

"Hi Amy!" The buxom blonde with the face of Aphrodite chimed in.

"Pleased to meet you," Amy said, nodding slightly at the two of them, then at the far-left spot on the couch. There sat the last stranger; a familiar picture of tall, pale, and blue-eyed indifference who stared at her in silence.

"It's nice to see you again, Amy," Bernadette chirped, coming up beside her with Howard.

"Hello, Howard and Bernadette," she greeted.

"Amy, these are Penny, Leonard, and Sheldon," Howard gestured at the guy in glasses, at the golden-haired supermodel, and the lofty gentleman in turn. Leonard and Penny gave little waves; when Leonard stepped on his foot, Sheldon raised a hand.

Raj set the bags full of takeout boxes on the coffee table. "It's my treat today guys, dig in."

Everyone else clapped and cheered. Leonard and Penny opened the boxes and started dividing. Raj led Amy to the remaining seats, which were on the couch. With a chivalrous flourish of his arm, he let her sit first, so she took the seat in the middle, beside Sheldon. Raj sat at her other side. Sheldon's brow furrowed as he watched them. Raj had already cautioned her about his eccentric friend, but she was distressed nonetheless, she wasn't sitting in his spot and hadn't been in the room for two minutes, what could he possibly disapprove of?

"So Amy, tell us about yourself," the girl named Penny said, as she grabbed an overflowing plate of food for herself.

She resisted the urge to clam up—she had never had a girl that beautiful show any interest in her. "Very well… I live in Glendale, and I'm a neurobiologist; I have a PhD and I used to specialize in primate addiction studies, but I'm currently switching my focus to selective mutism."

"That's all thanks to me," Raj happily announced.

"A neurobiologist, huh…" the guy with glasses, Leonard, leaned forward, nodding. "You study the nervous system…?"

She tilted her head, looking at him with incredulity. "Since the word 'neurobiology' is a compound of the words 'neuron,' which means nerve cell, and 'biology,' that should be painfully obvious. Specifically, I study the human brain, which is the center of the nervous system, in case you weren't aware."

He shrank back in his arm chair. Penny patted his knee. Howard and Bernadette appeared to be biting back laughter.

"Well… how about you tell us about your work with brains?" Howard asked.

"Howard, we've been through this before; given how you only have a Master's Degree, explaining it to you would be an exercise in futility," she responded.

Howard pursed his lips, knocking his knee against Bernadette's. "Honey, your turn."

"You can tell me about your work, Amy," Bernadette piped up.

"Bernadette, you're cute, but your fun with miniscule brainless creatures would hardly prepare you to understand the majestic wonders of the most important organ."

Howard, Bernadette, and Leonard exchanged looks. Penny snapped her fingers, laughing: "Oh, I see what you mean by that now!" Bernadette gave her thumbs-up sign.

She turned to Raj. "What are they saying?"

He threw an arm over her shoulder. "That you're an absolute delight—she's hilarious, isn't she?"

Penny raised her eyebrows. "Very."

"You're chatty today, was Amy finally able to train that tongue of yours?" Bernadette teased, glancing from Raj to her.

"Very funny Bernadette," he winked good-naturedly. "Actually, Amy let me have a glass of wine before coming here."

"Or did I?" She mused aloud.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he took a paper plate of food and added a couple of extra dumplings on it.

"That was actually sparkling cider, no alcohol," she said.

Her boyfriend made a sound that could be described as an "Eep" and offered her the plate. Amy accepted the food, and said: "Thank you, Raj." She took a bottle of beer from the beverages they brought and handed it to him.

He removed the cap and took a long swig. "Ahh… that hits the spot. Thank you, Amy."

"You're welcome."

"Hang on," Penny held up her hand, chewing her noodles with her mouth open. "I thought Raj can only talk to girls when he's had booze, so how come he talked even when he's only had cider?"

Amy suppressed her nervous excitement, glad to be able to answer the gorgeous creature's query. "Howard previously informed me that Raj is capable of conversing with females when he _thinks_ he has had alcohol, whether or not he ingested alcohol is beside the point."

"The placebo effect," Leonard said. Unnecessarily so, Amy thought, as he was stating the obvious _again_, but when Penny nodded in awe, she realized it might not have been as obvious as she had thought.

"Hopefully, you'd be able to help him out with that knowledge," Howard said, raising his own bottle to her.

From beside Amy, Sheldon spoke for the first time, snorting in haughty derision: "I doubt it."

She pushed up her glasses and gazed at him. He gazed back unflinchingly with icy blue eyes. So _this_ was Sheldon Cooper. She smirked and retorted: "While I'm unaware of how renowned or unaccomplished you are in your own field, given how human brains are my specialty, I'm far better equipped to assess Raj's condition.

"I'm currently conducting an experiment," she explained, fishing her tablet from her purse and showing her charts to the other pair beside Sheldon. Leonard nodded with interest while Penny frowned, chewing a whole dumpling vigorously. "I'd like to see if Raj would truly respond to all non-alcoholic drinks the same way, if his reactions will be different if I informed him of the placebo or if he finds out himself, if he would be rendered incapable of speech in all instances that I wrongfully inform him that a certain drink is non-alcoholic when it actually is. Who knows," she shrugged, "he might eventually stop relying on alcohol once his body catches up with his mind on the fact that it isn't a necessity."

"Or even the placebo would lose its effect and Raj would be rendered incapable of talking to females for the rest of his life," Sheldon interjected.

"While that's a possibility, I'm taking a calculated risk," she said.

At her other side, Raj coughed. He gawped at the label on the bottle he was drinking. She giggled. "Took you long enough to realize it, that was the same beer you drank when Howard made that placebo discovery. How can you forget?"

"As to be expected from Raj, unlike me, he doesn't have an eidetic memory."

She whipped back to face Sheldon, leaning closer in her excitement. "_You_ have an eidetic memory?"

He stiffened. "Yes, I do."

"Hmm…" She felt Raj tugging at her sleeve. She reached for another bottle, unscrewed the cap, and poured him a glass. As soon as he drank it, he began to open his mouth, but she said: "That's actually non-alcoholic." He wheezed and bit back whatever it was he wanted to say. She took a different bottle for herself and took a drink.

"Here," Leonard passed her tablet to Sheldon.

He was about to return it to her but pulled back, examining the screen. "Hmm… I must say, this is an exhaustive set of trials and conditions you have here."

"Of course," she declared confidently. "I've always excelled at conducting experiments, much like I have when it comes to anything related to neurobiology." She nudged Raj. "By the way, I lied, it's alcoholic."

"Hallelujah," Raj breathed in relief.

"Not bad, Dr. Fowler," Sheldon said, returning her tablet. "I do not disagree with the idea that you are not an unexceptional scientist."

She looked him straight in those bright blue eyes. "Interesting. Now try it without the quadruple negative."

He opened his mouth, unmoving for a heartbeat, then closed it. He stood up, placed his unfinished plate of food on the coffee table, and without another word, left the living room.

Amy blinked. "What did I do?"

Howard applauded, standing up, motioning for everyone else to do the same. Bernadette followed suit.

"Give the girl a medal!" Penny hooted, pulling up Leonard with her.

"Hear, hear!" Leonard agreed, clinking his bottle with Penny's.

Amy gaped at them all. "Whaa..?"

Raj grabbed her hands, chuckling. "Darling, you successfully made Sheldon Cooper shut up! No one makes Sheldon Cooper shut up." He kissed both her cheeks, then kissed her on the lips.

Dazed, she held her breath, as she was still wont to do whenever he showers her physical tokens of affection. "Oh… by the way, I was telling the truth the first time, it was actually non-alcoholic."

His jaw dropped.

"But the one I drank wasn't. So when you kissed me—"

He claimed her lips once again, her entire world buzzing from alcohol and the sensations of the kiss.

* * *

><p>Raj stopped his car right in front of her apartment building. She fidgeted as she watched him get off, walk round the other side to her door, and open it. He had always insisted on opening it, even back when they weren't dating yet. She was unused to such treatment.<p>

She took his hand, allowing him to help her off. "Thank you for driving me home."

"Thank you, for meeting my friends." He said.

"I wanted to. As your girlfriend, I was… curious to say the least."

He scratched his head sheepishly. "About what? You can tell me. Although, I may already have an idea what this is about."

"That beautiful girl, Penny. She was the one you talked about, that time, when you first called me up about the experiments, isn't she?"

He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "… Yes. But I swear, it was that one time, and everyone knows she still has this thing for Leonard, and I'm pretty sure he's hung up on her, that bastard, even though he dated my sister. Look, my point is, she doesn't like me that way and I'm not in love with her."

She nodded. "I know. We tested that hypothesis after all."

He held her by the shoulders and very slowly, brought his face closer.

"And another thing, that Sheldon—he's that same Sheldon Cooper, isn't he?" She blurted out.

He paused. "You mean, from the dating site, that time we first met? Yes, it's him."

"I thought so. I recognized from the picture." Instantly. She'd know those blue eyes anywhere.

"What a nutjob, huh? But you handled him well." He beamed at her. "You can even fit in with my friends, it's like you were always meant to be with us. You're the best."

From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a lithe and child-like figure prancing down the sidewalk, capped with a flash of red, but Raj stepped closer so she sucked in her breath and shut her eyes tightly as he kissed her.

When they broke apart, he stroked her cheek with his warm hand and whispered. "Good night, Amy Farrah Fowler."

"Good night, Raj."

He waved at her until she stepped through the building doors, refusing to leave until she disappeared into the elevator.

_Raj is a really good guy, like a romantic comedy leading man, like a boyfriend from dreams._

She repeated the thought to herself, all the way up to her floor, as she entered her apartment, through her nightly rituals, until she lied down to sleep.

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think—do leave a review. While I would love to play it cool and not appear so needy, in the end, I kinda-sorta am. Even a simple "I like it" is better than not getting any sort of feedback.

And just to clarify, I'll never write a fic that kills my OTP, which is Shamy. Even my Whamy fic was a push for Shamy. (Were some of you scared to read it? Aw, snap.) If I ever write a fic that says Sheldon C. & Penny, it only means that they're the prominent characters—it will still be Shamy (and LP). Always. So all you Shamy shippers better read it!


	3. Saw what you did there

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**III. Saw what you did there**

Sheldon fled to his room and collapsed against the closed door, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand.

_Amy Farrah Fowler._

Her name had given him the foreign sensation of hearing something he had forgotten. That was impossible of course—he had an eidetic memory.

He started vigorously massaging his temples. When she had taken the middle spot, sitting beside him, it hadn't struck him as particularly out of order, until Raj had taken the seat at her other side. She was supposed to be there, beside him.

And her words…

"_Interesting. Now try it without the quadruple negative."_

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block the images and voices flooding his mind.

_He stared unseeing at the screen; even in the darkened theater, her green eyes seemed too bright and he could only look at her from out of the corner of his eye. "With the understanding that nothing changes whatsoever, physical or otherwise, I would not object to us no longer characterizing you as not my girlfriend."_

_With a tilt of her head, she took a long look at him. "Interesting. Now try it without the quadruple negative."_

_He impulsively turned to meet that intensely green-eyed gaze. "You're being impossible."_

_She leaned away from him, touching shoulders with the man at her other side. "Hi, Stuart." Stuart gave her a small smile when she turned her gaze at him._

"_Fine," he muttered, urgently wanting to pull her from that other man. She moved back to his side. He stared at the screen again, and said: "Amy, will you be my girlfriend?"_

_He felt rather than saw her take another lingering look at him, before shifting to the screen, a demure smile on her face. "Yes."_

Why was he remembering memories that weren't real? Could he be going insane?

Without even changing his clothes, he jumped in bed and buried himself under the covers. "I'm not insane, my mother had me tested. I'm not insane, my mother had me tested. I'm not insane, my mother had me tested."

_But if I'm not going insane, then that could only mean…?_

From the very bottom of his chest of drawers, he pulled out a folder of equations that he had never touched, not since Raj gave it to him nearly two years ago, saying: "Check the math, dude."

And now, he did.

A shaky sigh. "Perfect match."

The math was correct.

* * *

><p>"It was Amy Farrah Fowler. You took her from me." He accused the thick fog swirling around him.<p>

The haze cleared before him and the Girl with the Red Straw Hat appeared. "Of course I didn't," she cooed, in her sickeningly sweet soprano voice. "She still exists, doesn't she? And yet… she's the sweetheart of your friend, Rajesh Koothrapali. Not yours."

"But how can that be?" He cried."We were scientifically chosen to be each other's perfect mate, the math was correct."

"Have you ever heard of the red string of destiny?" She suddenly asked.

"Yes. According to mythology, the gods link two people who are meant to meet each other with an invisible red string." He responded automatically. "Those who are tied by the red string of destiny are fated to be lovers regardless of time, place, or circumstance. But I neither believe in gods nor—"

When the Girl with the Red Straw Hat nodded, he found himself falling silent and raising his right hand. She pointed at his little finger, upon which the end of a fragile red twine was knotted.

"The red string of destiny may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. Or so they say." Taking the string between two tiny fingers, she started walking away, following the path of the string. "You're a scientist. Let's experiment and see if it's true."

* * *

><p>Sheldon pushed the spaghetti around his plate. For the first time in almost two years, his three friends sat with him in their old table and made chit-chat, and as he used to regularly do, he tried to tune them out, but that was difficult when their topic was precisely the one person that occupied his thoughts.<p>

"She's like… obsessed about monkeys," Raj said animatedly. "She's not working with them anymore but she still visits the lab monkeys. She even used to let them stay in her apartment. She has cartoon monkeys on her mugs, on her notebooks, on her desktop. She even likes King Kong!"

"_It always goes back to monkeys with you. Monkeys, monkeys, monkeys…"_ Sheldon waved his fork, as if to shoo away the non-memory.

"She's limited edition that's for sure," Howard quipped, in a tone that rankled him.

"Hey dude, don't talk about _my_ girlfriend that way," Raj admonished. Sheldon scowled and savagely cut a clump of noodles. "She's smart and funny, and even though she can be eccentric, she has a really good heart. She understands me. She may not be a conventionally beautiful supermodel but she has the loveliest green eyes, and her smile…" Raj chuckled bashfully. "She makes me smile and laugh. And you know, she's such an accomplished lady, and yet in many ways, she's an innocent little girl at heart. I just want to take care of her."

Leonard had been listening intently to Raj's declaration. When it was done, he simply said: "I'm happy for you, buddy." He held out his hand; Raj clapped it and they shook hands, exchanging wide, genuine smiles. The corners of Howard's mouth quirked up.

Their banter resumed with the same ease and liveliness they used to have. Sheldon thought he should probably be pleased by the mending of his social group, but only found himself becoming progressively more irritated as Raj related the story of meeting Ricky, the smoking monkey from Amy's lab.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but your blathering is disrupting my mental exploration of higher-spin gravity. Raj, I would like to remind you to process the calculations with Dr. Larsen and not to allow a fascinating woman to distract you from our current collaboration." Sheldon stood up with his tray of mutilated spaghetti and stalked off.

Behind him, he heard Raj say: "Of course, Sheldon—did he just say 'fascinating woman?'"

Sheldon dumped his tray and escaped the cafeteria, all but running to the sanctuary of his office. Reaching his destination, he threw himself inside and slammed the door, leaning against the door and starting to heave a sigh of relief.

Only to choke it back in when he found himself face-to-face with Amy Farrah Fowler.

She was leaning against the side of Raj's Brobdingnagian desk. Her purple shirt and pale gray cardigan were a bit too tight than he felt they should be and her dark gray skirt ended above her knee, but she still wore a brown barrette that blended in her hair, like… in his mind. She had been reading the vexillology questions written on his whiteboard, but turned when he entered. She stood straight. "Hello, Sheldon Cooper."

He gawked at her, unable to hold on to a single thought in his racing mind. _Did she check the math? Do I tell her? Does she know?_ "What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for Raj," she replied.

_Raj. Of course._

She peered at him. "Should I leave? Do you want me to go?"

She should. He… didn't know if he wanted her to.

"No need for that," he said and took his seat, affecting nonchalance. "He should be along soon." Soon being relative, maybe an hour in this case. Or more.

"Alright. Thank you." She returned to her perusal of his white board and he opened his laptop. "What is the second most common animal on flags?"

The simulations playing on his laptop failed to keep his attention, so he frowned at her. "How can you not know that? When it comes to flag symbols, the most common animal is—"

"The lion, I'm aware of that," she said.

He pursed his lips. "I suppose you're not completely ignorant of the topic. As for the second most common animal, it's the eagle."

"Noted." For a split-second, she appeared to stare off into the distance, in an expression that he recognized as consciously committing information to memory. Then she caught him eyeballing her.

He dropped his gazed and fixed it upon his laptop screen. He could hear her footfalls as she walked around Raj's desk. She abruptly stopped and said: "The physics is theoretical, but the fun is real."

He looked up sharply. She was holding the box of the game he had invented, Research Lab. Leonard and Penny had been his beta testers for the game, but their feedback hadn't been helpful. He had planned to have Raj test the game, but the astrophysicist had told him: "Not until a goddess rearranges the stars and descends from the Heavens with the sole purpose of becoming my bride."

"How's it played?" She inquired, as if to herself.

"It's played on a board with the spaces in the arrangement of Bohr's atom model. A roll of the die allows you to move to a space and draw a card, which can either benefit you, hurt you, or hurt other players." He explained. When she cocked her head towards him, he added: "I invented it. It's in an extended beta period."

"I see. May I?" When he nodded, she opened the box and unfolded the board. She moved the piece to the roll of the die, and drew a card. "You have been appointed as a director of the Max Planck Institute for Physics."

"That's a good one," he remarked, standing up and taking the die. It was a multi-player game after all. He couldn't really let her play by herself. He rolled the die, moved, and when he read his card, scowled.

She peeked at his card. "You accidentally stare at a helium-argon laser. Lose one turn and a retina. Tough luck."

He smirked. "Don't get overconfident now Dr. Fowler, the game has only begun. I'm a master of recovery."

Eyes gleaming with challenge, she grabbed the die. "Oh really now? We'll see about that, Dr. Cooper."

The game progressed swiftly. Amy Farrah Fowler had the luck of the devil—or the skills of a Las Vegas dealer. Another one of her rolls and he groaned.

"How can you avoid a nuclear meltdown by a single square?" He demanded.

She shrugged flippantly. "I guess I'm just lucky."

"Vixen," he muttered, moving his piece according to his roll. "And my Department of Defense research grant is renewed, of course."

Even with his Vulcan hearing, he barely registered the swing of the door. The familiar voice nearly made him drop his piece. "Darling!"

Raj stood at the doorway, glowing with excitement. He entered, dropped his stack of folders on his desk, and enveloped Amy in a bearhug. "Congratulations."

"Huh, what?" She appeared confused. "I didn't tell you yet…"

"Well, a little birdie told me—your paper is on the cover of 'Neuron!'" Raj exclaimed. "I don't really know about it, but I heard that it's a highly-respected journal. I'm so proud of you."

Sheldon watched as her face relaxed, softening from its usual keen expression, and she blushed. "Thank you, Raj."

"And now my lady, we're going on a date to celebrate your achievement. Shall we?" Raj offered her his arm.

"A date? But we don't go on dates during Tuesdays," she said.

"We haven't yet, but we can. We can go on a date on any day of the week, especially if it's a special day." He linked his arm with hers and looked back at Sheldon. "I got the calculations you wanted. I'm leaving early today, as agreed. See you for our all-nighter tomorrow!" He steered Amy to the door.

"Oh." She stopped suddenly, yanking Raj back. "Sheldon, I enjoyed the game very much. I shall submit a critique which I hope would prove beneficial to the beta test."

She left with Raj.

Sheldon clapped a hand against his forehead as his mind was barraged by memories that never were.

_"Thank you," Sheldon told Penny as she moved away to let him talk to his girlfriend, who was currently glaring at him, arms crossed tightly. "Amy, I'd like to apologize. Your accomplishment was impressive. And I'm proud of you."_

_"We both know that's your koala face!" She shot back._

_Sheldon looked over his shoulder at Penny. "I told you."_

_Penny sighed and picked up the bag on the table. "Okay, look, he bought you this."_

_Amy peered inside and pulled out a black velvet pouch, still glaring at him as she opened it. "Jewelry? Seriously? Sheldon, you are the most shallow, self-centred person I have ever met. Do you really think another transparently manip..." Her mouth dropped in surprise and she stared at the diamond tiara in her hands. "Ohhh—it's a tiara! A tiara! I have a tiara!" She swayed to Penny's side, all but squealing with delight. "Put it on me, put it on me, put it on me, put it on me, put it on me, put it on me, put it on me."_

_Penny placed the tiara on her head and grinned. "You look beautiful."_

_"Of course I do, I'm a princess, and this is my tiara!" He was unprepared when she rushed towards him and kissed him. His eyes widened at the unexpected warmth and softness... before he could think, much less react, she broke the kiss and threw her arms around him. Her head nestled against his chest and he was sure she could hear his hammering heartbeat._

_He lifted his arms and held her, gently, carefully, utterly discomfited to be holding something—someone, so valuable._

"Stop it," he hissed.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you reviewers for putting my needy little fic writer heart at ease. I did my best to finish this chapter before I go on a trip for nine days. But hopefully I can write the next chapter in between running around Seoul and Busan and the train in between like a crazy person. Hope you'll give my fanfics lots of love until I return.


	4. Expectation and reality

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**IV. Expectation and reality**

_For the past forty-five minutes, Amy had been imagining her blind date partner parading through the door with long-legged strides. His short, neatly combed hair would be dark, in sharp contrast to his perfectly pale skin. A haughty look on his face, he would scan the coffee shop with icy blue eyes. His gaze would grow warmer, taking the color of the summer sky, when he saw her and he would smile, as if they shared all the secrets of the universe between the two of them._

_"Amy Farrah Fowler."_

_"Sheldon Cooper."_

_But fifty minutes after their scheduled appointment, he still hadn't arrived. Amy had been stood up enough times to know that he wouldn't be coming. It appeared that in order to fulfill her one-date annual requirement from her mother, she'd have to apply for another match in that website—even though now more than ever, she was convinced that the website's algorithms were pure hokum. It had said that Sheldon Cooper was 100% matched with her._

_So where was he?_

_She abruptly stood up, cringing when her chair screeched across the floor. She was certain that everyone in the coffee shop had turned to her, aware of the rejection, with frowns, smirks, and pitying looks, so she kept her eyes on the floor. Scurrying for the door, she careened into a petite girl; Amy saw the girl stumble, her red hat falling off, before she herself fell to her knees and her glasses clattered to the floor._

_"Sorry!" She cried, frantically groping about for the hat... maybe if she found her glasses first..._

_Her vision regained clarity and she felt her spectacles being replaced upon her nose. "Oh, thank you."_

_Kneeling in front of her was a man with caramel-colored skin and big, black eyes. He was fairly good-looking, in a mysterious, exotic way that normally didn't strike her fancy and yet at that moment, his kind smile was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. He nodded in acknowledgement and offered his hand._

_She bit her lip as she took it and allowed him to help her up; she had never really held a man's hand before, aside from introductory handshakes, and she was certain that her hands, rough from lab work and clammy from nervous sweat, were unpleasant to the touch. Yet he said nothing as he assisted her._

_"The girl—!" She scanned her surroundings, yet there was no sign of either girl or hat._

_He looked at her questioningly. Beside him, a shorter, slighter man asked: "What girl?"_

_"I bumped into her, but..." she sighed. "Thank you. I must be going."_

_The other man nodded and the dusky Good Samaritan widened his eyes. She turned to leave, hearing agitated whispering behind her._

_"Wait, Amy Farrah Fowler!"_

_Stunned, she spun around. The short man held out his hand. She raised an eyebrow. "Sheldon Cooper?" What a surprise, he looked nothing like the stately man in the picture..._

_"No." He stuffed his fists in the pockets of his tight red pants. "But he's our... hn, I guess... he's sort of our friend. Uhh... why don't you take a seat?"_

_She joined them in a table and requested tepid water when he asked for the beverage of her choice. The men returned with two coffees and her water. The exotic gentleman splashed some rum in his cup before taking a drink._

_"He has selective mutism, and the only way he can talk to women who aren't related to him is if he has some alcohol," his little friend explained._

_"I see," she nodded. "Interesting."_

_"That's one way of describing it," he finally spoke, grinning wryly. "Sorry we were late, at the last minute we were trying to convince... umm..." he cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, Sheldon couldn't make it."_

_"Why?" She asked, blurting out the word before she could stop herself._

_"Weeeeell... he had a bad case of, uh—"_

_"He had a bad case of being a jerkass," the other man hissed. "Rather, it's a congenital condition. He refused to come, even under the threat of a hidden dirty sock."_

_"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm unfamiliar with that slang."_

_"It's not slang," the affable foreigner said. "Literally, we threatened him with a dirty sock hidden in his apartment, saying we wouldn't remove it unless he comes to the date."_

_"Strange," she remarked. "One would think that soiled hosiery could force anyone to submission."_

_His smaller friend frowned puzzledly, while he chuckled. "Probably, but he actually found the sock and disposed of it, so we couldn't do anything about it..."_

_"He's a douchebag," the other man interjected, "he doesn't even care if he blows off a girl he was supposed to go on a date with."_

_"Howard, to be fair, he didn't set the date himself. I'm Rajesh Koothrapali, Sheldon's friend." She shook the proffered hand. He continued: "It's actually our fault. We signed up Sheldon in the dating site. It was supposed to be a joke, we didn't think he'd really get matched with anyone..." He sighed. "I'm sorry, the whole thing was my idea, I'm the one to blame for this mess."_

_Her initial desire was to confirm that he was indeed to blame, and maybe even to express anger. But his large, dark eyes were so remorseful and sincere that her anger faded. "Apology accepted," she said, relieved when his smile came back. She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings—she knew all too well how it felt to be on the other side._

_They conversed until they finished their respective beverages. Raj suggested that the two of them give their numbers to her, if she would accept. "Of course," she said. "And this is my number. Please call if you ever decide to allow me to stick electrodes to your head, for the good of science. I'm intrigued by your case of selective mutism."_

_She parted from Raj and his friend, fully expecting to never hear from him again._

_But one year later, she did._

Amy was jolted out of her musings when Raj parked the car."The Cheesecake Factory?" she asked when he opened the passenger side door. "A reliable choice, the food here is satisfactory."

"Oh, we're not eating here," he said. "We're only going to pick up something."

They entered the restaurant, and Penny immediately saw them and waved. Irrationally enough, the charming sight of the blonde in her waitress uniform cheered Amy. Despite her past involvement with Raj and her unbeatable beauty, she didn't make Amy feel threatened or discomfited. In fact, she made Amy feel rather... safe. It was a dangerous sentiment: her entire life, Amy had never had a reason to believe that a girl like that could ever be sympathetic to her.

"Hey guys, I have your order here." Penny handed a cake box to Raj. "I heard from Bernadette. Big day today, huh, Ames?"

The nickname startled her into stammering: "Y-Yes..."

"Hi guys." Leonard walked over to them.

"Hey you," Penny greeted. "What brings you here?"

"It's a Tuesday, so Sheldon's scheduled to eat here, but he has locked himself in his room, so I thought I'd just pick up dinner from here and try to coax him out with the food."

"Why, what happened?" Amy asked impulsively.

Leonard shrugged. "I don't know, he's... Sheldon." Penny and Raj nodded as if that was the most logical answer.

"You'll have to excuse us, we have a reservation," Raj said. He whispered loudly to Penny: "Thanks for taking care of the surprise."

"No problem, you two enjoy yourselves!" She winked at Amy.

Her boyfriend took her hand and walked her out of the restaurant. Amy looked back over her shoulder; Penny and Leonard had fallen into awkward silence, their body language painfully uneasy. _They seemed so companionable and in sync during dinner last night. _"Your friends appear to be extremely uncomfortable being alone together. When buffered by the company of other people, they take to each other very well."

"Yeah..." his face fell. "That's really my fault..."

"Raj, while your dalliance with Penny understandably threw a wrench into your group's dynamics, how everyone else reacted to the situation was entirely their choice and no fault of yours," she reminded him. He smiled gratefully at her. She hoped he could learn to stop blaming himself.

* * *

><p>"This is where we're dining?" Amy asked, peering at the restaurant facade. "<em>Chiang Mai Summer. <em>I don't believe I'm familiar with this establishment; we've never eaten here before."

"Of course not," he said excitedly. "Today is the grand opening."

"Grand opening..." she frowned. "Wouldn't that mean the quality of the food isn't guaranteed?"

"I... I wouldn't say that, I mean they said the food here's really good."

"So you read the chef's reviews? Some feedback from food critics?"

"Uhh... no..." he seemed at a loss. "But it's supposed to be really good. I thought it would be a nice surprise."

Amy wanted to kick herself. _What's wrong with me? _Why was she expecting such adherence to method? Most girls would over the moon if their boyfriends got a reservation for a fancy restaurant's opening day. "It _is_ a nice surprise," she assured him. "Thank you."

Happiness brightened his face again and he led her inside the restaurant. "Two for Dr. Rajesh Koothrapali," he informed the maître d'. Once they were seated, Amy said to him: "By the way, that flask I told you to drink from before we meet up today...?"

His eyes grew round and he yelped, before pressing his lips tightly together. He gestured wildly at the sommelier.

"Don't panic, it had a shot of brandy," she confessed.

"Whew," he took the wine list offered by the sommelier. "Hmm... please serve us the best vintage most suitable for the House Special. Only the best for my girl."

The sommelier nodded. "A big day today, sir?"

"Oh yes!" Raj exclaimed. "My girlfriend has made the cover of 'Neuron,' a highly esteemed biology journal. She's unbelievably smart."

She blushed, mortified as Raj continued regaling the sommelier with tales of her career. Finally, she cut in: "Raj, perhaps it would be best to let him bring us the wine."

"Oh right, sorry..." he gave a small wave as the sommelier took his leave.

It went on throughout dinner; Raj told every server who attended to them and the diners at the adjacent tables about her work. Amy could barely eat—it was all she could do not to cringe at the looks everyone else gave her, ranging from astounded to disturbed to mystified to bored. _He's so proud of you Amy, you should be glad. He wants you to know how you've done well.  
><em>

_But I do know... I know I'm extraordinarily intelligent, and how earnestly I have worked for my accomplishments._

_You should be more grateful._

_I am, but... as long as he appreciates me, that's enough._

"Time for dessert," Raj announced. The waiter was about to slice the strawberry cheesecake when he instructed: "Give the slice with the extra-large whipped cream swirl to the lady."

Amy accepted the slice and took a huge bite, barely chewing it before gulping it down. Something lodged in her throat and she pounded at her chest, unable to breathe.

"Oh my God, help!" He shrieked.

Several waiters rushed over, but before any of them could assist her, Amy managed to spit out the object. It was a clear, circular case, about as big as a dime. She wiped and opened it. Inside was a necklace with a green gem.

"I wanted to surprise you," Raj squeaked.

"By hiding a necklace _in my food_?" She demanded exasperatedly. "Didn't it ever occur to you that it's unhygienic to place such items in edibles, uncomfortable to ingest such an item, and that the resulting incident could prove lethal?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I thought it would be romantic... Penny said it might be a nice gesture and I wanted tonight to be perfect."

She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax her facial muscles and vocal chords. "Thank you Raj. You don't need to do so much... you're very thoughtful as it is."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "It's a real emerald. I thought it would go well with your eyes..."

* * *

><p>As always, at the end of the date, Raj drove Amy to her apartment and helped her out the car. When he leaned closer, she screwed her eyes shut. Instead of a kiss on her lips, she felt soft kisses against her eyelids. She blinked at him.<p>

He patted her shoulder. "Amy, don't be nervous. I won't hurt you."

"I know," she said with full honesty.

_Raj is a really good guy, like a romantic comedy leading man, like a boyfriend from dreams._

She echoed the thought as she entered her apartment. Once in her room, she stripped off her sweater and skirt_—_they were tighter and shorter than what she was used to, but comfortable enough. More comfortable at least, than the off-shoulder sundress splayed across her bed. She had bought it with the idea of dressing up nicely for her boyfriend, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to wear it in public. _Not yet... not now. I don't know when._

She examined her reflection in the mirror: inexpertly applied mascara was starting to smear under her eyes, which didn't quite match the shade of the beautiful emerald hanging from her neck.

_Raj is a really good guy, like a romantic comedy leading man, like a boyfriend from dreams._

Maybe if she repeated it enough times she would believe it with her heart, instead of simply knowing with her mind.

**Author's Notes:** I'll admit it, I didn't really get any writing done while in South Korea, that's why this came late. Hope you'll enjoy this update. I'll be off on another trip, but only for the weekend (it's real summer in this land of eternal summer!), so that won't affect my fic updating so much. Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	5. The way it should be

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**V. The way it should be**

Sheldon glowered around the living room, before settling at the seat beside Leonard's arm chair, at Penny. "Thanks to _certain_ people snatching food items before they could be divided equally, I must now tolerate dinner with completely skewed noodle-to-dumpling ratios."

Poking at a dumpling, she retorted, with her mouth full: "I told you we can split this one, but you said no, it's not a dumpling if you cut it."

"Will you please swallow your food before speaking?" he cried. "And by definition, a dumpling ceases to be a dumpling once it has been cut apart, so your suggestion wouldn't have rectified the situation either way."

Beside him, Amy spoke. "You can have the extra dumpling." With her chopsticks, she took the last dumpling Leonard had placed in her plate, saying that as the newest member of their social group, she was entitled to preferential treatment.

"Thank you, Amy." He held up his plate so she can place the said dumpling, and immediately picked it up with his chopsticks and bit.

Leonard and Penny frowned at him, and then at each other, knocking knees and mouthing incoherently.

"What?" he demanded.

Penny slapped Leonard's arm and nodded. He cleared his throat. "You ate that dumpling. And she…" he clicked his chopsticks in the air.

Amy tilted her head at the pair of them, a confused look on her face. From her other side, Raj peered at Sheldon. He bit his lip. "I'm very, very hungry," he said dismissively and shoveled more food in his mouth.

Leonard and Penny exchanged glances; the former shrugged, and the latter took the dumpling she had stolen, saying: "Sorry Sheldon, I didn't know. You can have this one."

"No, I can't," he clutched his plate against his chest protectively.

"What's wrong with him?" Penny huffed at Leonard, stuffing the dumpling whole in her mouth and chewing.

"I've been asking that question for nearly ten years, you think I ever got an answer?" Leonard replied.

"May I remind the offending parties that I'll be taking the proper disciplinary action for tonight's misdemeanor?"

"I didn't do anything!" Howard cried, nearly upsetting Bernadette's plate when he jumped off his seat. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I wasn't referring to you, Wolowitz, though from your behavior, I'm sure there's some transgression you'll have to atone for." Sheldon looked from Raj to Leonard.

Unable to speak, Raj gestured wildly with his hands. Leonard cocked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about now?"

"Due to Raj and your refusal to make the detour to purchase Thai food, we're eating Chinese food." He said.

"I don't see you losing your appetite over that," his roommate retorted.

"I already told you, I'm very, very hungry. The alternative is to starve and let my brain suffer from lack of nourishment." He tapped his chopsticks at the side of his plate. "Since both of you have reached three strikes, you'll have to attend a corrective class."

"Oh, come on!" Leonard groaned.

Raj was opening and closing his mouth wordlessly and waving his arms about. He glanced at Howard and Bernadette, but she shook her head. "Uh-uh, we're staying out of this one, we don't want to get a strike too." He turned to Amy.

"Raj, for the good of the majority, in this instance, you must play by the rules," she said. Everyone swiveled their heads at her direction; Sheldon gazed down at her.

Raj waved his arms with far more desperation, so Amy opened a can of beer and handed it to him. He took a sip, and then spoke. "Why are you siding with Sheldon?"

"I…" she dropped her gaze to her food and picked at it. "I thought it would be a sound social strategy to randomly side with your friends once in a while."

He pouted. "But you're not siding with my friends, you're siding with _Sheldon_."

"Listen to her, Raj, she appears to know what's best." Sheldon advised. She beamed up at him, with that disarming smile that seemed to have the power to give him an upset stomach.

"Fine," he grumbled, draining the can of beer and denting it in his hands.

"Tough luck." Penny patted Leonard's shoulder then picked a peanut off his noodles with her fingers.

Sheldon wrinkled his nose in distaste. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and bounced on his seat. "Have you all heard that the zoo would finally be showing to the public the newest batch of koala babies?"

"Oh, and the monkey house have two new inhabitants as well, both are lovely capuchin monkeys," Amy piped up.

"They are outdoing themselves aren't they?" he grinned at her. "They have discounted passes this weekend, we should all take advantage of that and arrange a group outing." Amy grinned back at him.

Everyone else was gaping at them. Bernadette glanced sideways at Howard. "Yeah… no," Howard said firmly. She nodded in agreement.

Penny winced. "I… have better things to do. Like scrubbing the toilet and fishing in my couch for loose change."

"I've got nothing better to do, but I'd rather do nothing," Leonard muttered.

"I now have a reason to look forward to that conference this weekend," Raj remarked. Amy faced him. "Don't tell me you actually want to go?" Her back was turned to Sheldon so he couldn't see her expression, but he could see Raj looking crestfallen. "Well I suppose you can go, but…" his eyes darted at Sheldon for a split-second. "It's just…"

Leonard sighed. "… Alright. I'll go too. I'll drive."

"Great!" Raj exhaled, sounding relieved. "Thank you, Leonard."

"I can drive too," Amy said.

"Yes, I know darling, but... Leonard's a really good driver."

"So that's settled." Leonard started clearing the takeout boxes off the coffee table. Howard and Bernadette stood up to help him.

"Yeah, settled." Sheldon mumbled. From the corner of his eye, he watched Amy, as she slapped Raj's hand from the beer cans. He felt an indescribable mixture of dread and anticipation. He didn't like it. But at the same time…

She noticed him staring, and before he could look away, she smiled. It was only when he started coughing that he realized he had held his breath.

* * *

><p>They stood beside the welcome arch of the zoo, browsing the visitor's guide. "Where should we go first?" Amy asked.<p>

"We can see the monkey house first, if you wish," Sheldon suggested gallantly. "If we follow the outer path, we'll reach it before the marsupials section anyway. We need not dally by the sea life tanks, the felines, and the aviary, since they have no new specimens."

"Ah, it's that eidetic memory at work," she giggled. Sheldon was sure the cereal was hopping around his stomach, but he smirked proudly.

Behind them, Leonard complained: "You didn't ask me where I wanted to go."

"I'm sorry Leonard," Amy apologized. "But based on your bored expression and generally unenthusiastic demeanor, I thought you were uninterested in today's excursion."

"You're right though," he grumbled.

"Is he always like this?" she asked Sheldon.

"Prone to unreasonable tantrums? Yes. And his mother says he has always been that way." he replied.

She headed down the path and Leonard started to follow her, but Sheldon grabbed his arm to stop him. "What now?" he moaned.

"Behave yourself Leonard, that churlish attitude is inappropriate for this place of cheer and life and fun," Sheldon scolded.

"Well sorry, it's hard to be all thrilled when you're like the chaperone of two middle school kids on a date," Leonard said.

"Nobody told you to come with me and Amy Farrah Fowler today," he pointed out.

"I had no choice, I had to come," his roommate explained.

"Why?"

Leonard gawked at him, exasperated. "What do you mean, why? I couldn't just let you two come here alone."

"Why not?" he challenged. "Surely that's more enjoyable than coming along with a wet blanket like you."

"She's Raj's girlfriend!" the shorter man cried, throwing his arms in the air. "You're Sheldon, but still… you know things are still a bit awkward with Raj…"

Sheldon was struck speechless. She was Raj's girlfriend, and no one would ever let him forget it, least of all himself. _She's Raj's girlfriend but… _He coughed to clear his throat, then shot back: "And whose fault is that? It has nothing to do with me."

"Ugh!" Leonard waved a hand at his face and stomped after Amy.

For a few moments he stood still, trying to make sense of his racing thoughts and Leonard's words, before giving up and catching up to them with his longer strides. They were in the monkey house, standing before the cage of the capuchin monkeys.

"Did you know that capuchins are one of the only two New World monkeys with pseudo-opposable thumbs?" Amy was asking Leonard.

He stared blankly then stammered, "Uh… in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Captain Barbarossa's monkey was a capuchin, right?"

"Oh Leonard, they're much more than organ grinders and exotic pets," Amy rebuked with much disappointment.

"If I recall correctly, and I surely do, capuchin monkeys held in captivity tend to become destructive and hostile upon reaching five years old, the age of sexual maturity," Sheldon commented. "And despite their popularity, they're not recommended as pets."

"There are risks involved with this particular breed," she agreed. "Yet they're among the most intelligent monkeys and with their capability to use tools, they're immeasurably helpful to quadriplegics…"

As he leaned on the railing, his elbow bumped hers companionably—she didn't pull back, and simply continued talking about the wonders of capuchin monkeys. She put her chin in her hands, a dreamy expression on her face. "Aren't they delightful?"

"Yes, fascinating," he murmured.

_This is how it should be._

* * *

><p>Leonard stopped the car in front of Amy's apartment building. "Thank you, Leonard," she said. "Sheldon, thank you for suggesting today's activity, I had a wonderful time."<p>

"As you should… I rather enjoyed it as well," Sheldon replied.

Leonard raised an eyebrow at him, before telling Amy: "You're welcome."

She opened the door and alighted from the backseat. Sheldon moved to step out of the passenger seat; Leonard did a double-take, before scrambling out of the driver's seat and trailing behind as he walked Amy to the building entrance.

"It would be pleasant to repeat this activity, in the event that the zoo takes in more inhabitants…" she mused. Belatedly, she added, "And, maybe Raj will be able to come next time."

"Raj? Oh, yes…" he nodded absently.

"See you… goodbye, Sheldon." With those words, she whirled around and hurried inside the building.

"What does a woman like her see in Raj?" he wondered—out loud, before he could stop himself.

"Huh—what?" Leonard blinked at him. Without responding, he walked past Leonard and got in his seat, reclining it and closing his eyes.

_She's Raj's girlfriend but she's not meant to be._

_She's meant to be with me._

**Author's Note:** Hey there… I implied that this fic would be kicked into high-gear once "The Double Girlfriend Dissent" is finished, but it's now in the muddled middle, which tends to be painstakingly difficult. Please review, and in the meantime, I'll go chase a muse that I may or may not believe in.


	6. Like gravitation or magnetism

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**VI. Like gravitation or magnetism**

Amy rapped on the door twice and received no response. She turned to leave, but instinct drove her to add one more knock.

"Come in."

"Hello," she said as she slipped inside the office.

Sheldon glanced sideways from his whiteboard, his focused frown giving way to a smile. "Amy Farrah Fowler." He straightened up, his face reverting to seriousness. "I suppose you've come to see Raj."

Suddenly very aware of her wide grin, she toned down to a diffident, neutral expression. Instead of replying to his question, she said: "As promised, I've brought the critique for 'Research Lab.'" She stepped closer and held out the paper with both hands.

For a moment, his visage was unreadable. An icy pebble of dread fell into her stomach and she wondered if he suspected that she was making flimsy excuses to converse with him as she herself did. Then blue eyes brightened with wonder, and she tingled with reassuring warmth. "This is unusual. Many people would make such a promise and never follow through."

She watched him take the paper and file it in one of his folder racks. "Did I give the impression that I would be one of those people?"

He looked up from his folders, musing for a few moments. "No, quite the opposite in fact."

"Good," she said, pleased with his answer. He bit his lip and dropped his gaze—uncomfortably or bashfully, she couldn't quite tell. She realized she was smiling. Again. _Stop it, Amy Farrah Fowler. You're freaking him out._ "Well, I suppose you're busy…"

"I should be," he grumbled. He walked back to his whiteboard and tapped his marker on the surface, leaving a trail of dots.

_Of course he's busy, you shouldn't have come here._"I'm sorry for disrupting your work, I'll see you next time—" she spun on her toes and started for the door.

"No!"

She halted at his cry and turned back. He pressed his lips together and picked at the sleeve of his undershirt. "I mean… it's not you disrupting my work. I've been stalled by these equations for the past couple of weeks now."

"What are you working on?" she asked. "Your thought processes might progress more smoothly if you were to verbalize your desired goals."

"I'm studying the behavior of electrons in higher-spin gravity," he continued trailing dots across the board, forming a wave under his equations. "I have a hypothesis, but the equations to prove it are unbalanced."

"Did you double-check your signs?" she smirked at his indignant scowl.

"Of course I did, what do you take me for?" He shook his head, muttering. "I'm not a first-grader who will make such a basic mistake…" His eyes unblinkingly scanned the lines of numbers and variables then froze. Slowly, he raised his marker and flicked a tiny line.

She felt him stare down at her. She gazed up at him demurely, trying not to giggle.

"It seems I've overlooked a small component," he conceded.

"Oh, did you?"

"It's not a mistake per se, but a minor lapse in the presentation of the idea."

"I understand."

"The spirit of the equation is essentially unchanged, and that's what's truly matters."

She nodded, knowing that she'd burst into laughter if she attempted to speak.

A corner of his mouth curled up. "I'll be sure to acknowledge your involvement in a footnote of my memoir regarding my journey to the Nobel prize."

"I'll be looking forward to it," she said, unable to keep herself from smiling.

Sheldon's hand flew across the whiteboard, deriving further equations, and he was fully concentrating on his work. Amy decided to give him the necessary space and she wandered to the bookshelves on the far side of the room. Most of the books related to theoretical physics, but one of the top rows had Shakespeare and several Oprah book club recommended titles. _These must be Raj's. _She ran a finger across the books and stopped at a thick, elaborately embossed hardbound volume. With much difficulty, she pulled it out, and the gold-leaf stamped title greeted her: _'Kama Sutra.'_ She raised an eyebrow, mildly scandalized, and then snorted in amusement. Raj had a tendency to protest stereotypical comments and little jibes at his race and country, but he made it all too easy.

_He might be embarrassed to know I've seen this._

_But then again, he did have this book on display._

_He probably just hadn't expected his girlfriend to be poking around his office._

_This is hardly like digging through a collection of pornography, it is first and foremost an ancient self-help book._

_Yes, about various ways to make the beast with two backs. You should at least ask for his permission before reading it._

_Come on, you're a big girl. As a scientist, you should always make it a point to pursue knowledge._

Her curiosity got the better of her. Balancing the book against the shelf, she flipped to the middle. Her mouth dropped open at the richly-colored illustration. _That… surely requires a certain level of athleticism. Is this something Raj considers typical? He does have all those dance classes at the gym…_ She felt her cheeks burn.

"What are you reading?"

She yelped and slammed the book shut, whirling around and shoving it behind her. Sheldon tilted his head inquiringly.

"H-Have you finished your equations?"

"Naturally, I'm a genius after all." He sidled next to her, and repeated: "What are you reading?"

"Nothing important," she said hastily.

"Then why waste your time reading it?" he huffed.

"I-I… I'm glad you solved your problem. Let me see your work." She hurried towards the board, trying to tuck the book at her side, but he deftly grabbed it. As he did, the book dropped open in his hands. His jaw figuratively hit the floor—he appeared infinitely more shocked than she was. He quickly closed it. "What in the world…" He mouthed the title and looked up at her. His face was shadowed with... disappointment. "Why would you even read that?"

She shrugged flippantly. "I work in a sub-discipline of biology after all; my scientific curiosity compelled me to examine the book."

This isn't biology, it's, it's, this is…" he stuttered, waving the book. He crammed it back in the shelf haphazardly and paced across the room, ranting. "Procreation hardly requires a manual, it's only when people engage in the activity towards another end that they would use _that_. A banal pursuit for the common human being."

She chuckled. "Sheldon, everybody engages in that activity you refer to."

"Not everybody," he corrected.

"Yes, I apologize. I spoke in too general terms," she said gently. Raj and the others had already spoken about his distaste for… many things. "I meant that a large percentage of humans participate in the endeavor, regardless of race, political affiliation, intelligence—despite how different all of us are, this is something that most of us have in common."

"Including you?"

_When did he come closer?_ She found herself pressed to the edge of his desk, practically sitting on it. He leaned over her, one arm trapping her as his hand perched next to her hip. He wasn't touching her, but he was so, _so_ close.

"You're such an intelligent woman. Are you really so interested in such activities?" he whispered, his eyes a deeper blue than she had known them to be.

She licked her lips nervously. "Well, that…"

At the swinging of the door, they both jumped. "Amy...? What a surprise." Raj said, brows drawn in confusion.

She shoved Sheldon's arm away and approached Raj. "Um, yes, I thought I'd surprise you. You didn't drink alcohol did you? That had better be the new medication." She rummaged in her messenger bag and produced a brown paper bag. "This is for lunch. A sandwich. Or if you've already had lunch, you can have it as a snack." She… didn't really feel like hungry anyway.

"Why, thank you. I did have lunch, but I'll set it aside for tea time." Raj beamed at her, then at Sheldon. "Isn't she sweet?"

Sheldon was frowning.

"I have to go back to the lab," she stepped around Raj, but he caught her by the crook of her arm.

"Should I pick you up later? And then we can have dinner together." he suggested.

"Oh, I brought my car, and I'll probably have to work overtime." she muttered. She stopped mid-breath when he kissed her.

"Maybe next time."

"Um, yes. Goodbye." Without looking at Raj or Sheldon, she left the office.

* * *

><p><em>Did he read the critique yet? I wonder if he'll ask me to test the next version of the game as well...<em>

She lightly slapped her cheek and leaned closer to her laptop screen, seeing but not really seeing the results from her her latest set of trials.

Metallic pounding reverberated around her lab, punctuated with a screech. Amy turned to the lone cage at the corner and rebuked the monkey: "Ricky, you've gone through an entire pack already, that's quite enough."

He banged at the door of his cage again, and she could swear he was glowering at her. "I'm doing this for your own good. Dr. Kinsey already agreed to retire you from the study, so there's really no need for you to continue smoking."

Ricky threw himself on the floor of his cage, making a sound akin to a baby's cries. Amy sighed and took a pack of cigarettes from the lab's supply. She offered him one and held out a lighter. But instead of lighting the stick, he gestured at the lock on the door. She opened it, and he nimbly hopped down and sat on the edge of her counter. He held out the cigarette.

She lit it for him and took her seat. "You remember Raj, right? You should, he brought you those ridiculously expensive cigarettes before." He blew smoke at her face. "Hey!" she scolded. Ricky had the grace to look down sheepishly and puff his smoke away from her.

"He's a really good guy… any girl would be happy with him. I know that." _But he's not the man I see in my dreams. I'm being silly, a real boyfriend who's so sweet and nice is much better than a man in my fantasies, but—_

"Eeek!" Ricky shrieked and stamped his foot.

"Oh, were you actually listening?" Amy swiveled her chair so she was facing the little monkey. "He's wonderful, but he's not the man that I dream about. The man in my dreams… he's very intelligent. Raj is very smart, but he's about as much of a challenge to me as Howard is to Bernadette, which is to say, not at all.

"The man in my dreams is tall and stern and proud, but he has the most beautiful smile. He's well-mannered and mostly aloof… though he warms up with time. Like a cat. Do you know why I like cats? They're the epitome of indifference and you have to win their affections, but once you do, it feels all the more worth it, because you know you're special and it won't just go around being affectionate to everyone.

"He'd be interesting, with wide range of skills and knowledge. He wouldn't play traditional romantic gestures straight but he'd make me feel like a princess anyway. And he would only have eyes for me.

"I know, I know…" she moaned and rested her cheek against the counter, seeing the monkey sideways. "No such guy exists. Not one who would ask me to be his girlfriend anyway. Raj did and he's great. I know."

Ricky crushed the butt in the ash tray and hopped excitedly. "No, you've had too much." Amy cradled him in her arms, ignoring his protests and returned him in the cage. She touched his tiny hand with her finger. "Yes Ricky, I'm always grateful that you listen to me. Even if you can't give me advice." She slumped in her chair and sighed again.

_Raj is great. But he is not the man of my dreams._

_Then again, those are only dreams._

**Author's Notes:** Okay, I got this. I was tearing my hair out over how to bridge from the beginning to the rest of the developments in the story and almost regretted starting this fic in the first place, but it's been worked out. It's going to be longer than I first envisioned it, mainly because I want to actually take time to write Sheldon and Amy following their red string to each other, instead of simply strangling them with it into a sudden happily ever after. Thanks for your patience in following this story.


	7. What if?

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**VII. What if?**

"_Sheldoooon~" Raj entered Apartment 4A, grinning smugly and swaggering across the living room. Howard followed him. "It's time for your date with your perfect match."_

_Sheldon rotated his chair to face his friend and acquaintance, respectively. "I thought I made myself perfectly clear, I scoff at that dating website's algorithms, they're pure hokum. And I won't waste my time going to that sham of a date you've arranged."_

_Raj placed his hands on his hips. "And I thought I made myself perfectly clear, unless you meet with Amy Farrah Fowler, I won't remove that dirty sock from this apartment."_

_He kicked up his leg as he crossed it over the other and leaned back on his chair with his fingers drumming on the armrests, as he had seen magnificent anime overlords do when particularly pleased with their own cleverness. "Do you mean the one beneath my bed? I must say, it was almost too obvious to be not obvious, luckily enough, I cleaned every inch of the apartment and found it. It has long been incinerated."_

_His friend's smug sneer evaporated. "Come on Sheldon," he wheedled, "you can't let this girl down, she'll be so hurt that her 100% match didn't show up."_

_He crossed his arms over his chest. "Not my fault that she was impressionable enough to have fallen victim to your prank."_

"_That's just cruel!" Raj cried. "Think of that poor girl. How will she feel? Look at him, how can he be like that?" He turned to Howard, who only threw his arms in the air._

"_He was made like that, a self-centered robot who doesn't care about other people," Howard sniped. Sheldon only stared impassively—if Howard had been a friend instead of a mere acquaintance, that line would've been… hurtful._

"_Sheldon please," Raj said desperately. "You just need to show up and talk to her for a while, explain the situation. I think if you do that, you can still salvage her faith in love and destiny, instead of destroying it completely by standing her up."_

_He waved his hand dismissively. "All the better for her then—it would be unwise to have such blind faith in this 'love and destiny' you speak of."_

_The Indian man closed his dark eyes and muttered silently, as if a prayer to some non-existent deity. When he opened them, he said: "Come on, Howard."_

"_Where are you going?" Sheldon asked, in spite of himself._

"_I have to meet that girl and tell her what happened," he explained. "I'm responsible for this. The whole thing was my idea, I can't just let her wait for a guy who won't be coming."_

_The two men started for the door; Raj abruptly stopped. He fished a folder from his bag and placed it on Sheldon's desk. "Check the math, dude."_

_Howard opened the door and stepped out, Raj held the knob and looked back over his shoulder. "It would probably take you around twenty minutes to examine those equations. We're going to wait for you in my car for thirty minutes in case you change your mind."_

_From outside, he heard Howard gripe: "What? That's a waste of time, he's not going to change his mind, you know him!"_

"_For once, Howard's right," Sheldon confirmed. He heard some muffled Yiddish cursing. "I'm not going to change my mind."_

"_We'll wait anyway." Raj said. "Sheldon, you have to think this through… are you absolutely sure you won't regret this?"_

"_Regret is for lesser men," he declared._

"_I hope you're right." With those words, Raj left._

_Sheldon took the folder and placed it in the very bottom of the chest of drawers in his room, sliding the drawer close with a loud slam. He went back to the living room and sat before his laptop. He fixed his eyes on the particle motion models on his screen. He played the simulation on repeatedly, blinking at the animation, pushing back at a critical point, and back again, and back again…_

_He glanced at the time on the bottom right-hand corner. Twenty-six minutes. It would take him at least three minutes to safely go down the three flights of stairs. By the time he reached the ground floor, he would then walk to the parking lot only to find that Raj and Howard had already gone._

_He pressed 'play' again._

* * *

><p>It was one of those extremely rare instances that Sheldon would concede that he had made a mistake. Nearly two years ago, a dating website had matched him with the one and only woman who was 100% compatible with him. Granted, he hadn't created his profile, but he had checked it, as well as the website's equations, and had confirmed their accuracy.<p>

He should've gone that day, but he hadn't.

As a result of his choice, his social group developed out of its proper order. Amy Farrah Fowler, who should've been fully-integrated within their circle by now, had only begun to connect with his friends. Rajesh Koothrapali, who should've simply been his friend and colleague and little more than Amy's acquaintance, was now his rival. And most importantly, Amy, who should've been his, was now pairbonded with his friend, Raj. It was all _wrong_.

It was up to him to rectify the situation.

He waited in his usual table at the cafeteria. It was eleven twenty-five AM. He and his friends were supposed to meet at eleven thirty AM, to have lunch with Amy, who had visited Caltech's Biology department. He expected them to arrive no earlier than eleven forty AM. And he knew she would be arriving well before that time.

Sure enough, she walked in and stood on her tiptoes as she searched. He hesitantly raised his hand. Even from the distance, her smile sent tingles down his spine and made his stomach flip.

"Good morning," she sat across from him.

"Good morning," he greeted in turn. "Were you able to collaborate with the Biology department?"

"Yes, they were understandably reluctant, but after I told them how well Raj has been responding to this new drug, they agreed to run their own trials," she said. "Would everyone else be coming soon?"

"From my experience, they're prone to being so-called 'fashionably late.'" He studied her face as he proposed: "Would you like to play a game while we wait for them?"

Her lips parted in surprise. "You brought your board game with you?"

"Oh no, it's a different game, this doesn't need a board. It's… I guess we can call it a 'what-if' game, but I don't really like the sound of that, it needs a better name," he said.

She frowned slightly. "Perhaps if you explain the mechanics of this game, I can help you come up with a better name."

"Alright. In this game, we postulate an alternate world that differs from ours in one key aspect, and then pose questions to each other. One might be asked to defend one's answer to the question."

"I see what you mean by a 'what-if' game," she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Taking into account how that difference has affected the world as we know it, we would then answer questions based on that other world, correct?"

"Yes," he said. "Why don't you start by asking me a question?"

"Hmm…" Grinning impishly, she balled her hands and held them close to her cheeks, such that she rather resembled a kitten playing with its paws. The realization made him tingle again. "I have one. In a world where an ancient and advanced alien civilization built the pyramids, which nation would emerge as the next superpower?"

The answer came to him almost instantly; he grimaced. "India."

"Defend."

He sniffed. "In a world where an ancient and advanced alien civilization built the pyramids, said alien visitors would take advantage of our planet's youth and would harvest our resources to sustain their aging planet, especially their livestock abductee of choice, cows. The anomalous decline in cow population revolutionizes the tenets of Hinduism, which leads to the complete removal of the caste system. This enables gifted individuals to take leadership positions regardless of caste, accelerating the country's progress."

"Correct," she said. "My turn now."

"Yes, I've got an easy one in mind." He took a deep breath, and ventured: "In a world where I showed up for our blind date, what would your research focus be?"

"That's far too easy," she complained, pouting. "The answer is addiction in primates."

"Maybe so, but you'll still have to defend your answer," he pointed out. "Defend."

"In a world where you showed up for our blind date, we would have met each other before I made the acquaintance of all your other friends. We would have appreciated our similarities, pursued a relationship based on the paradigm of our meeting, that is, through a dating site. I would never have dated Raj, thus, would not have had the opportunity to examine his brain and would never have shifted my focus. I would've stayed in primate addiction studies."

He nodded. "Correct."

She swayed giddily, her voice bubbling with delight. "I always did like monkeys."

"Although your logic was flawed."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Being higher intellectuals, we would have agreed that the dating site's algorithms are pseudoscientific hokum," he reasoned. "Thus, we wouldn't buckle to the pressure of applying such a paradigm on our relationship, choosing to identify ourselves as boy-slash-friend-slash-girl-slash-friend rather than boyfriend and girlfriend."

She gazed at him and past him, as if seeing that alternate world, and considered his words. "I see what you mean. I stand corrected."

"Although… we would've eventually chosen to apply the latter paradigm." He looked straight into her green eyes, willing himself to keep the contact despite his anxiety. "Because, and I'm sure you've come to the same conclusion, you are meant for me, Amy Farrah Fowler."

Her mouth opened and moved silently. She exhaled and finally responded: "I'm with your friend. Raj."

"But you're not supposed to be," he countered. "It wasn't him who was matched with you, who was meant to go on that date with you. That you met Raj was an accident—it was supposed to be me all along."

She blinked slowly, but didn't glance away. She seemed... sad. "But it wasn't you. Because you didn't show up that day."

"Amy…"

She stood up, nearly bumping into Leonard who was flanked by Raj and Howard. "Sorry."

"Sorry we're late," Raj chirped. "Let's get our food—"

"Sorry," she repeated. "I forgot I need to… do something." She walked past them and out of the cafeteria.

"But…" Raj's shoulders drooped. "What's wrong? Was she really angry we were late?"

Leonard was staring after Amy… then looked from Raj to Sheldon. Feeling stifled, Sheldon scrambled on his feet. "Excuse me, gentlemen." He stalked towards the exit.

* * *

><p>"I know what you took," Sheldon announced to the swirling fog. "It was the day that I met her."<p>

The Girl with the Red Straw Hat clapped her dainty hands and exclaimed: "Bingo! Very good, Sheldon Cooper."

He shuddered. "You said I can still have her back. Is there a deadline?"

"It's not really a deadline," she said sweetly, the assurance ringing hollow. "However, as time passes, the more you diverge from the world that could've been and the harder it is to restore."

"The world that could've been…" he murmured, raising his hands; the red string tied on his finger was so fine and delicate, surely it would take the lightest touch to snap it. "I'm in a different world."

She waltzed around him, singing. "In a world where you didn't meet Amy Farrah Fowler that day…" She twirled away, her paleness blending in the mist so he only caught a blur of red. She halted and lifted her head so he can see the youthful, flowerlike face beneath that red brim. "You're in a world where you met Amy Farrah Fowler too late."

Her elated smile was as beautiful as it was terrible.

**Author's Notes:** I hesitated having Sheldon be so... aggressive (well, aggressive for Sheldon), but I figured I'd have to let him loose a little—he has never been in such a desperate situation before. And yeah, I suck at Counterfactuals.


	8. What is

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**VIII. What is**

Amy hurried out of the bathroom, wrapping herself in a towel as she moved, and picked up the ringing phone. "Hello?"

"Hi Amy," Raj said. "Howard and Bernadette are going cake-tasting this afternoon, and they thought we might like to come for a second opinion. How about it? We haven't gone out in a while..."

She stifled a sigh. "Yes, about that—I'll call you later. There's something I need to attend to this afternoon."

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess, let me know. Bye."

"Goodbye." She hung the phone. _I'm sorry, Raj. _She sat before her laptop and quickly typed an email.

_Good day Sheldon,  
>If your schedule permits it, I would like to see you today. I think we need to talk.<br>- Amy_

Almost as soon as she sent it, she received a reply.

_Good day Amy,  
>Certainly. Please let me know the time and location.<br>- Sheldon_

She went to her room and opened the closet. Her unworn off-shoulder sundress hung inside the door. Steeling herself, she snatched the dress and pulled it on. The blue, floral-printed fabric dipped to a heart-shaped neckline that made her feel indecently exposed. _Calm down, it's just a dress._ She composed herself with a few deep breaths and straightened the full skirt, which at least fell right above her knees. She examined her reflection in the dresser mirror and decided that she didn't look half-bad. Surely it was an improvement from her usual manner of dress.

As a final touch, she clasped the congratulatory emerald necklace around her neck.

* * *

><p>She had barely finished knocking when the door of Sheldon's office flew open. "Good afternoon," he said. "Are you sure about staying in my office, most people would prefer going to a coffee shop..." his mouth dropped open as he did a double-take at her dress.<p>

Amy hardly dared to breathe as his gaze wandered from one bare shoulder to the other and then followed the rather low neckline. She was regretting her choice of dress; she didn't have the lean and bronzed shoulders for it. "Here is fine," she squeaked.

"I see." He licked his lips, his eyes darting around, avoiding her. "Should I raise the thermostat?"

"No, I'm fine," she insisted, a little harshly.

"O-Okay. I made tea, would you like some?" He waved his hand towards his desk, which had an extra chair pushed close to it.

"Yes please." She walked next to his desk, but didn't sit down the chair—it was all she could do not to pace across the room. Instead, she leaned against the desk, trying not to squirm too much. He gave her a cup of tea and she wrapped her suddenly cold hands around it. "Thank you."

He leaned companionably beside her, swirling his own cup of tea. "You said you wished to talk to me."

She sipped the tea, ignoring the scalding temperature, and nodded. "What you said the other day begs to be discussed."

"I agree."

"Why?" she asked, without elaborating, but he knew.

"Because it's true: you should be with me." he answered. "We're 100% compatible. This has been determined by math and proven by science. It's only logical that we should be together."

She shook her head. "Sheldon, I know that you have a compulsive need for order and adherence to logic. And I respect that. However, there are some things, like lov—" she bit back her words and observed his face, but he didn't seem to have noticed. "I mean, some things like affection and human relationships, don't always follow order or logic."

"I know that," he said. She raised her eyebrows in disbelief, and he reiterated: "I do, I know that. If human relationships always followed order and logic, then I—a man at this level of intellect, who had dedicated himself to science—I wouldn't…" he bit his lip.

"You wouldn't..?" she prompted.

"Anyway, that's not the point," he snapped. "The evidence supports my statement: You're meant to be with me."

She put down the cup and planted her hands on her hips. "That's it, isn't it? This is nothing more than your desire to have everything in what you deem to be their proper place and your sense of entitlement towards something you believe to be yours."

"I wouldn't say it wasn't."

"That's not a good reason."

"That's not the _only_ reason. What if... what if I tell you that I've seen a different world?" he asked. "A world where I showed up for our blind date, you work in primate addiction studies, Raj is nothing more than a friend you met through me, and we are together. If I had gone on the date, everything would've turned out the way it's supposed to be."

"Counterfactual thinking... counterfactuals..." she whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"Counterfactuals," she repeated. "That what-if game we played, it should be called 'Counterfactuals.'"

His eyebrows drew together and he huffed impatiently. "Why are you talking about the game?"

"It's the natural inclination of all human beings to think of what could've been. Even a genius such as yourself would be intrigued about the possibilities, that's why you play that game." she explained. "But that's simply second-guessing, and it's not healthy to dwell on them."

He dumped his cup on the desk. "I'm not dwelling on them, I only want to set things right. That's how things are supposed to be Amy, but something changed—I ended up not going and I lost the day that I met you and this is how it turned out. That's why I must fix it."

"Sheldon," she said, almost pleading, "assuming I'd agree to be in that kind of relationship with you, what do you plan to do with Raj?"

"I… haven't thought that far," he confessed.

"You're many things, but a man who'll betray his friend isn't one of them."

"Of course not," he asserted. "But Raj is an acceptably smart man. He'll understand."

Miffed, she glared at him. _What does he take me for? _"No, he won't. He actually cares about me."

"Of course he does, he should." he agreed quietly.

She softened and almost touched his arm before remembering his aversion to physical contact and folding her hands on her lap. "And that's why he's not simply going to hand me over because you say so."

Wordlessly, he looked down at her, so intently that she shivered, but she met his gaze. She couldn't help herself, she had to ask him. "In that other world you speak of, was I happy, with you?"

He was very, very still and silent. Then he asked in turn: "Are you happy, with Raj?"

"Raj can make any girl happy," she said truthfully. "You didn't answer my question."

"And you didn't answer mine."

_Touché. _"The other day, you said that if we had met that day, we would've identified ourselves as boy-slash-friend-slash-girl-slash-friend."

"Yes."

"Then, please be my friend." _And only my friend._

He understood exactly what she meant. "That's impossible," he rejected. "I know that our relationship was meant to be more than mere friends, so I can't be expected to pretend that we—"

Never breaking eye contact, she braced her hands against his chest as she raised herself on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. His chest heaved under her palms and he recoiled before her lips could touch his skin. She was pulling back when he trapped her hands under his. "Wait," he gasped. "Do over."

With a resolute smile, she slipped from his grasp. She lightly patted his shoulder over the sleeves of his layered shirts. "If what you said is true, that the world had changed, I think I know why."

"What do you mean?"

"It would seem we're better suited to be friends."

His face fell with utter devastation, and he looked so vulnerable, that for a moment, she wanted to relent and throw her arms around him and promise him that she would make everything better. But then his eyes blazed with cold blue fire and he declared: "No, you're wrong."

She sighed, half-amused and half-resigned. "Oh Sheldon, do you always have to be right?" Without waiting for an answer, she left the office.

* * *

><p>The lover from Amy's dreams was tall, aloof, eccentric, and exceedingly intelligent. On the day that the dating website sent a notification about her perfect match, she also started dreaming that he was handsome. She saw a face: attractive, with blue eyes that were astute and innocent at turns, pale skin, and a tempting Cupid's bow mouth. Sheldon Cooper's face. But that was only a fantasy.<p>

_It's time to distinguish fantasy from reality._

She approached the park bench, dragging every step. Raj sat there, waiting, and appeared to be engrossed in a game of Cat's Cradle. His playmate was a young woman in a red sunhat and pale yellow sundress. He took the strings in his fingers and his mouth formed a little circle when he saw the results. "Now that has been hopelessly tangled," the girl declared, skillfully taking the string in her hands.

At the shuffling of her feet, Raj looked up. "Amy!" he called, standing.

_This is reality. And a far better one than any I had ever thought could happen to me._ "Hi," she said.

His dark eyes widened appreciatively as he looked her up and down, lingering at the emerald pendant and slightly further down. "You look beautiful."

She knew he'd like the dress. "Thank you. I'm glad you called. I know I've been busy lately..."

He waved flippantly. "It's okay, I understand."

"Who was that?" She peered behind him. The bench was empty.

"Who was what?"

"That girl you were talking, well, playing with."

"Oh, she was also waiting for somebody." He glanced around. "I guess she left. Anyway, what do you think?" He held out two purple flowers: an orchid and a carnation. "It's for the wedding. Howard and Bernadette said they were choosing whatever, but I said no, if you're putting the same flowers in my girlfriend's hair, she better like them."

"That's thoughtful of you," she chuckled, picking up the blooms and holding them at either side of her head. "What do _you_ think?"

His gaze moved from one side to the other as he considered. "The orchid. An extraordinary flower, for an extraordinary lady."

"I can't argue with that," she nodded. He leaned closer to tuck the orchid behind her ear. She pressed her lips against his cheek, feeling his skin grow warmer. "Thank you, Raj."

Flushed and grinning, he gestured forward with a flourish. "Should we follow Howard and Bernadette now? They're already at the bakery."

"Of course. Actually... I hardly ate lunch because I wanted to taste all the samples," she admitted sheepishly.

"Me too! I love wedding cake," he gushed.

They started walking; when she clasped his hand, he squeezed hers tighter. _This is reality. I have a wonderful boyfriend who will make any girl happy. I can never hurt him._

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts? (I'd like to thank the lovely reviewers who liked my Counterfactuals. That made me happier than it should. :P)


	9. How to be a friend

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**IX. How to be a friend**

_How could she?_

Sheldon's first reaction shock. It couldn't be real. She couldn't have just disregarded everything he had said. She was Amy Farrah Fowler. She had to know how it was supposed to be…

Then he was extremely disappointed. He didn't expect that, not from her. She should've known he was right. She was Amy Farrah Fowler. Why couldn't she realize how it was supposed to be?

Finally, he was left with anger that settled to severe irritation. How dare she ignore what he said? How dare Raj take her as his girlfriend? How dare this universe be so wrong? How dare he fail to show up that day? Why in the blazes doesn't she know how it was supposed to be?!

Everything frayed at his temper: the one degree change of the temperature in his office, the too-strong tea in a cup at a corner of his desk, his unsatisfactorily softened clothes… and Raj, humming in the desk across the room, tapping away at his laptop as he edited their paper. Sheldon peered over his screen; his friend was smiling in the giddy way he tended to when he looked at _her_. Amy.

_Was her image in his mind's eye? Or was he recalling a recent date? Did they kiss—_

He felt a stab in his chest and an urge to strike the other man nearly overwhelmed him that he had to jump off his seat and stalk to a corner of the room, taking his head between his hands. He heard Raj's chair squeaking against the floor as he stood. "What's the matter, Sheldon?"

"Nothing!" he replied quickly. He looked over his shoulder. Raj was frowning at him in… concern? He glanced down guiltily, hurried to his desk, and started to clean up. "The faulty thermostat is disturbing my physiological balance. Let's wrap up for now and resume tomorrow, when the problem has been fixed."

"Alright," Raj agreed. "Should I tell Leonard we're joining them for dinner after all?" He nodded, still keeping his eyes on the books and papers on he was arranging. After a few moments, he heard the door swing open. "Let's go, Sheldon."

As Raj drove to Los Robles, Sheldon called Leonard to ensure the dinner would be ordered in the sufficient quantity and to his specifications. Then halfway through the drive, Raj's message tone bleared. With one hand, he grabbed the phone from his pocket, keeping the other hand on the steering wheel. Sheldon looked at him sternly. "Rajesh Koothrapali, that practice is most dangerous, most traffic accidents occur when—"

"Lighten up," Raj said. "I'm not going to—" the car swerved to the side of the road and screeched to a stop. The whiplash nearly snapped Sheldon's neck.

"Raj!"

His friend threw the phone on the dashboard and without thoroughly checking the round, turned the car around and sped off.

"What are you doing?" he cried.

"I'm sorry Sheldon," Raj pleaded, "but Amy needs me—Ricky died and she was very fond of that little monkey, I'm sure she's crying her eyes out right now."

"Okay."

"I know you don't understand, but I need to be there for my girlfriend—did you say okay?" Raj whipped his head to the side, gawking at Sheldon with dark round eyes.

"… Yes. Now keep your eyes on the road."

* * *

><p>As soon as the car was parked, Raj leapt out and jogged up Amy's apartment, without waiting for Sheldon. The latter followed, unnerved to realize that he knew to stop at the third floor, and easily caught up with his long strides. Raj knocked on the door of Apartment 314, calling: "Amy? Amy?"<p>

The door opened to reveal a rather rumpled-looking Amy, her cheeks and lips flushed, her eyes welling with moisture. A tear fell from each eye; she quickly dabbed the tracks with tissue. Raj enveloped her in his arms. "Oh, my poor little darling!"

"I want to be alone," she declared, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"No, you actually don't," he cooed. He backed her to the couch and settled there, cuddling her securely.

Sheldon lingered at the doorway. The inexplicably familiar scene only aggravated his ever-present irritation, so he went to the kitchen and set his bag on the counter. He moved automatically, his hands finding items exactly where he thought they should be, and made tea. His temper goaded him into rough motions, making more noise than he had to. He poured some into a mug and brought it to the living room. Amy lied still, her face half-buried in Raj's chest. He cleared his throat until Raj noticed; he handed the mug.

"Look here darling, Sheldon made you tea. Isn't that nice?"

"No, it's not," he murmured. "Social convention dictates that a hot beverage be served to one who is in distress."

She looked up at him, her wet eyelashes glistening. "Thank you." The trembling of her voice made his breath catch and the irritation clawing at his chest dissipated… only to be replaced by anxiety. _Will she be alright?_

Raj blew the mug of tea. Sheldon would've pointed out that it was an unhygienic and inefficient method of cooling the beverage, but held his tongue—she seemed pleased. When Raj gave her the mug, she gulped it down, even though he was certain it was still far too hot.

"Sheldon, I texted Leonard to pick you up," Raj said. "I'll have to skip dinner this time after all."

"Of course." Sheldon nodded, his lips pursed. He grabbed his messenger bag and left the apartment at once, marching rapidly down the corridor and down the stairs. At the last few steps, he slowed down, until he was shuffling by the time he exited the building and reached the sidewalk. There, he stood motionless.

_He entered the apartment when she opened the door. "What happened?"_

_"Ricky died," she wailed, jostling her glasses off her nose as she wiped the tears from her eyes._

_"Why are you crying?" he asked, frowning. "Wasn't emphysema a natural consequence of your experiment?"_

_"I know, but… I lived with him here, fed him, we even watched TV together sometimes…" she rubbed her eyes again._

_"I see, you've become attached to that monkey," he said. She nodded. He sighed knowingly. "Which is precisely why it's unwise to form emotional attachments if one can help it. Such attachments would only cause distress upon their disruption—"_

_"Sheldon," she stepped closer to him. He didn't take a pace back, though he did lean slightly away from her. "Hold me."_

_His eyebrow quirked up. "What do you mean?"_

_"I mean, I'm an emotional wreck right now and I need to cuddle with you."_

_He balled his fists and tightly set his arms at his sides. "W-What, an emotional wreck—hardly, you're definitely more stable than you were during that time Penny and Bernadette left you out of their shopping nonsense, and with good reason too, that matter involved human beings instead of lower primates. I don't think this occasion calls for the same desperate measures."_

_Wordlessly, Amy spun on her heels, strode into her bedroom, and closed the door. He waited for a full two minutes before it struck him that she might not be intending to come out again. "… Amy?" He walked to door and raised his hand to knock—but if she opened the door, then what? Would he have to step in her room? Exactly what would she expect from him?_

_He dropped his hand and proceeded to the kitchen. He should make her some hot tea. He pulled out the box of teabags and spied the tin of cocoa behind it. The fragrance of hot cocoa might coax her out of her room. Additionally, chocolate was said to be an effective tool for calming raging female hormones. He nodded and applied himself to making the beverage._

_He was pouring a big, steaming mug-full when the front door slammed open. He started—why hadn't he locked that door? The small form of Bernadette Rostenkowski breezed inside, her blond curls bouncing around her shoulders. "I'll take that." She grabbed the mug from his hands and carried it to Amy's door. "Amy? It's Bernadette."_

_The door opened. Bernadette promptly hugged his distressed girlfriend, carefully moving the hand holding the mug of cocoa, which she offered after the hug. The door closed behind them once more._

_He poured himself a mug of cocoa and waited on the couch. He hadn't even finished a mug of the drink when it turned cold. He washed the mug and reheated the pot of cocoa, in case the women needed another helping. He was sitting on the couch once again when the door opened, and Bernadette tiptoed out. "She's asleep now," she said. "I'll tell Penny to that we should have a sleepover, that would cheer her up."_

_"… Why are you here?" he asked._

_"She needed a hug." Bernadette checked her watch. "It's nearly eleven PM. Is Leonard picking you up?"_

_"Blast it, I didn't contact him!" he muttered. "I'll have to take a cab."_

_"Alright. I'll sleep with her tonight." She winked. "That should really be your job, Sheldon."_

_"I must go now!" He snatched his bag and ran out of the apartment._

He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, whispering: "That Sheldon Cooper in that other world…"

He jolted when a car stopped in front of him. The window rolled down and Leonard peeked his head out. "What the hell, Sheldon? First the two of you weren't joining us, then you were, then you're the only one joining us. That's not very orderly, is it?"

"I'm sorry," he muttered, going to the passenger seat side of the car.

"… You're _what_?" Leonard cried. But Sheldon was already climbing in the car.

* * *

><p>Their social group was having dinner at the Cheesecake factory. Leonard had another engagement immediately before their dinner, so Sheldon came with Howard and Bernadette. When they arrived, Raj and Amy were already at the table, sitting side-by-side.<p>

She blushed when she saw him. Was she embarrassed because he witnessed her outburst, or because he witnessed her moment of intimacy with Raj?

_Did he sleep with her last night?_

He felt his face stiffen and he sat across the empty seat, nodding curtly at the two of them. Howard and Bernadette took the places beside him.

"Hey, how are you guys?" Raj asked. Amy managed a small smile. Sheldon looked away.

"Hungry—can we order now?" Howard raised his hand for the menu.

"Howie!" Bernadette swatted his arm back down. "We're not complete yet."

"Leonard said we can go ahead and place our orders, he'll catch up," Raj informed them. Howard raised his hand again and Penny approached their table.

"Here you go." She passed menus to Raj, Amy, Howard, and Bernadette, then started to leave.

"Excuse me?" Sheldon called sharply. She looked over her shoulder. "You didn't give me a menu."

Penny snorted in a most unlady-like manner. "We already both know your order Sheldon, you order the same thing every damn week." She sauntered away.

"Do you really?" Amy asked.

He refused to meet her curious green eyes, and answered shortly: "Yes, the regularity is beneficial to the digestive system after all." He turned to Howard. "While we're waiting, why don't we play a game?" The other man frowned and opened his mouth, but Sheldon didn't give him a chance to talk and continued. "It's very simple, it's called Counterfactuals. We postulate an alternate world that differs from ours in one key aspect, and then pose questions to each other. Here, I'll start.

"In a world where dogs and humans mutually understand each other's language, what is considered the signature luxury food of the United States of America?"

Howard wrinkled his nose. "What are you talking about?"

"I said, in a world where dogs and humans mutually understand each—"

"I heard you."

"Then answer the question."

Howard rolled his eyes. "I don't know, Scooby snacks?"

"Wrong," Sheldon said. "Obviously, the answer is cheese."

"What?" the smaller man snapped. "That makes no sense."

"Of course it does," Amy assured him. "In a world where dogs and humans mutually understand each other, mankind never domesticates cats due to their sole preference for dogs. With no natural predators in human habitats, the rat population is consistently massive, as a consequence, they eat massive amounts of cheese, severely limiting stocks and making it a rare food item. The idea is carried over into the modern era."

Despite himself, Sheldon glanced at her. She noticed and smiled warmly at him. He couldn't stop himself from grinning back.

"Hi guys!" Leonard appeared... with a redheaded woman just slightly shorter than himself. He gestured at her. "This is Holly."

"Hi!" she chirped, waggling her fingers at them.

"Are you guys ready to order—oh," Penny froze in her tracks, her eyebrows drawn together as she gave Holly a once-over. "I thought you only needed a table for six, not seven."

The other woman returned the look and sniffed. "You must be Penny. I've heard all about you."

"Oh? Too bad, I've never heard about you," Penny's lips curled, showing teeth, but it looked more like a grimace than a smile. She shifted her eyes at Leonard and demanded: "Well, do you need another seat?"

"Uhh..." he looked sideways at Holly, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"That other table looks ready to order, I'll have someone else cover this one when you decide," Penny said. But instead of heading to the next table, she went to the direction of the washrooms.

"Wait!" Sheldon shouted after the blonde waitress. "You didn't take our orders yet!"

"Howie, order my Caesar salad for me, I'm just going to the washroom." Bernadette left the table.

"You know what, my roommates ordered pizza, so I'm heading home now," the redheaded woman said. "Bye Leonard. It was nice meeting all of you."

"Bye, thanks for driving me here." Leonard waved after her.

"So, that girl's pretty hot," Howard said, leaning on the table eagerly.

Raj nodded in agreement and paused when he saw Amy giving him a look. "Uhh... I mean, if you like that type. And I don't. I think I need another dose." He popped open a pillbox, but she stayed his hand.

"No, you can only take the medicine thrice a day. Excuse me, I'm going to wash up." She stood up, straightened her cardigan, and walked towards the washrooms.

"One of life's mysteries, why women congregate in the bathroom," Sheldon muttered.

"Isn't it obvious?" Howard chuckled. "Penny's not used to having friendly competition when it comes to Leonard. They're not really going to the bathroom, but they'll just talk about the sweet little redhead and make catty comments about her."

"After that they'll have a big group hug," Raj sighed dreamily.

"Tell us about her," Howard urged Leonard.

Leonard scratched his head and took the seat beside Amy's empty chair. "She's a new researcher at the university, we're working on a project together. It's nothing."

"Then let's move on to another topic," Sheldon interjected.

"For once, I agree," Leonard said. "Raj, why didn't you go to dinner last night?"

"Oh, that's because Ricky died—don't worry," he said reassuringly upon seeing Leonard's horror-stricken face. "He's a smoking monkey from Amy's lab. She liked that little guy a lot, so she's heartbroken over it. I stayed at her place last night."

Howard simpered in the sleazy manner they haven't seen him done in a long time. "_All_ night?"

Sheldon bolted out of his chair so fast he knocked it over. Leonard stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "Hey buddy, are you okay?"

"I'm going to wash up." Sheldon fled to the men's room, leaning against the door before remembering how dirty it was. He shuddered and turned the tap of the nearest sink. He let the water run over his hands, then started slowly washing his hands. He took a single paper towel, wiped his hands, took another one to wipe the remaining dampness.

When he couldn't delay any longer, he opened the door with another paper towel, and inched towards a corner and peeked at their table, quietly, so his friends wouldn't notice.

"... And then I listened to her play the harp for some time, then she went to bed and I went home." Raj was saying.

"That's it? What else happened?" Howard prodded.

"Nothing happened!" the little Indian cried. "I told you, we cuddled, we drank tea, we watched a documentary about monkeys, she played the harp, then she went to sleep and I went home."

The little Jew slapped his forehead. "Let me get this straight, you were in the apartment of your emotionally vulnerable girlfriend, at night, and you didn't even think of sleeping with her?" Sheldon clenched his jaw and his fingers dug painfully in his palms as he tightened his fists.

"No!" Raj gasped. "I mean... yes, I thought of it—only thought of it. I can't take advantage of her like that. She's not like other girls, you know."

"Obviously," his best friend grumbled. "Other girls will be vulnerable enough to let their boyfriends have their way with them."

Raj glared indignantly. "Howard..." Leonard reproached. He reached over and patted Raj's shoulder. "Well Raj, it's good you're getting along. I'm glad Sheldon didn't cause trouble for you yesterday."

"Oh no, he was very nice about it. Nice for Sheldon, I mean. Why would you think that Sheldon would cause trouble?"

Sheldon held his breath and backed away a step. _Yes Leonard, why would you think that?_

"Not to freak you out or anything..." Leonard began hesitantly, "but I think Sheldon likes your girlfriend."

"What?!" Howard's jaw dropped and he gaped alternately at his two friends.

"He probably does," Raj remarked. "They're similar in some ways."

"No Raj, I mean he _likes_ her."

"... Oh." Raj was quiet for a few moments then shrugged. "I guess that's not really surprising. That dating website did match them. Besides, she's the smartest woman I know, probably the smartest woman Sheldon knows too. He'd like that, wouldn't he?"

"Then... you're fine with that," Leonard inferred.

"Y-Yeah, I mean, it's Sheldon, what can happen?" Raj expelled a few breathy laughs.

Howard nodded knowingly. "Yeah, it's weird, but it's _Sheldon_."

From his corner, Sheldon raised his chin indignantly. _What do they mean by that?!_

"That's why I'm concerned, because it's Sheldon," Leonard explained. "It's not like him after all."

"Actually, I think it's kind of cute that Sheldon has a little crush on my girlfriend," Raj said flippantly. "Maybe this is what he needs to finally reach puberty."

Leonard twiddled his thumbs. "I don't know Raj... remember, that website said they were 100% compatible."

"What are you saying?" Raj shot back. "That I should step back so Sheldon can have my girlfriend?"

"No, no, no!" Leonard shook his head vehemently. "No, no... I-I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying. But that's not what I meant."

"Then let's not talk about it anymore, and let's finally place our orders." Raj raised his hand to call a server.

Sheldon instinctively retraced his steps to the washroom and washed his hands again. Slowly.

**Author's Notes:** I'm sorry this was delayed. I had laptop problems, then writer's block problems, then distracted-by-other-fandom problems, then laptop problems again. I've had a couple of readers inquiring if I was continuing this fic. Please rest assured that this definitely would be finished. Thanks for reading. As always, please let me know what you think.


	10. A small step

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**X. A small step**

"Thank you," Amy said, taking the filled-up questionnaire from Raj. "That should be all for this phase of the trial."

"I'm sad I won't have any more of those pills," he remarked. "And I only have three more doses worth of talking to women until the next phase."

"I can always set up the placebo experiment again." She watched him typing for a few moments, before sweeping her gaze around the office. She had decided to drop by after five PM instead of during lunch to avoid seeing Sheldon, but now that he wasn't there... She stifled a sigh and stood up. "I'll be going now."

"Sorry I can't talk right now," he peered up from his laptop with puppy-dog eyes. "I have to finish this paper, then go to that lecture—aww, I have to return that Flex Belt to Penny!"

Amy's ears perked up. "Hmm... Penny?"

He fished a thick, wide belt from his bag. "She said this belt really works the abs and let me borrow hers so I can try before I buy. I was supposed to return it last week. She's going to hog-tie me..." he caught her eyebrow shooting up and waved his hands in denial. "Literally. Not like in a kinky way."

"Yes, I understand." she said, picking up the belt from his table. "I'm not doing anything, I can return it to Penny for you."

"Really? Oh I get it," he teased, "this is one of those sizing up the other woman moments, isn't it? It's a little catty, but that's so sweet of you."

She didn't say anything, and simply shoved the Flex Belt in her bag and smiled indulgently. It wouldn't do any harm to let him think that way. He blew a kiss after her as she left the office.

She walked to her car with a certain bounce in her step. During dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, Bernadette and Penny had welcomed her addition to their little session in the bathroom wherein they described Holly with a few choice words (that garishly-tinted interloper) and questioned Leonard's decision to suddenly bring her to an event exclusively for their social circle (and in Penny's "turf"). She had been considered Bernadette's friend by default, since their boyfriends were best friends, but after that chat, she also felt closer to Penny. Amy couldn't explain it—Penny was certainly a grown-up version of all those pretty and popular girls who bullied her all throughout her school life—but the blonde was nice and made her feel welcome, and she couldn't help but feel drawn to her.

From that little bonding moment, Amy had found out that Penny would be presently working a shift at the Cheesecake Factory, so she set out in that direction. Maybe she'll get a dessert or a drink, and talk some more with her.

Upon reaching the restaurant, she approached a handsome server with curly golden hair who she recognized as Penny's friend. "Penny?" he frowned. "She hadn't come in since yesterday. She didn't call in sick either."

"I see. Thank you." She returned to her car. Penny certainly seemed very free-spirited, however even she didn't seem like the type to go AWOL from work for two days in a row. _I'd call her but..._ She bit her lip. She didn't have Penny's number. Maybe she could ask for it from Raj or Bernadette. _Wouldn't that be too clingy? We're not actually close acquaintances after all._ She resolved to head for Penny's apartment instead.

* * *

><p>Amy pushed the door open and walked inside, keeping her eyes on the flight of stairs ahead that she bumped into another person. "Oh!"<p>

"Good lord, would you please watch where you're—" It was Sheldon, holding a stack of mail to his chest.

She blinked up at him. He was so close that one of her jacket buttons brushed his shirt. He squirmed. "Sorry," she apologized, taking a step back. He nodded and hurried to the stairs. She followed at a more leisurely pace.

He was already at the second floor when he stopped and looked at her. "What brings you here?"

"I'm going to Penny's," she replied. "I'm returning something she lent Raj." She fell in step beside him and he resumed moving at a slower pace.

"She doesn't seem to be there," he said. "She didn't swipe dinner from us yesterday and I haven't seen her around."

"Really?" she gripped the strap of her bag tighter. "Her co-worker said that she hasn't reported to work since yesterday."

"That's quite peculiar," he remarked. "Unless she has become addicted to another MMORPG, but she hasn't been asking me for any help."

In spite her mounting nervousness, Amy smiled at his words. They were now at the fourth floor; Amy knocked at the door of Apartment 4B and Sheldon stood at the hallway instead of entering his apartment. "Penny?" She knocked twice... thrice... but there was no response. "Penny!" She rotated the door knob, but it was locked. "Sheldon, this doesn't seem right."

He cocked his head. "You're... worried?"

"Yes."

"We have a spare key. Let me retrieve it." He disappeared into 4A and reappeared with a key, which he used to open the door to Penny's apartment. "Mind you, she's rather sensitive about people entering her apartment."

"I'll take that risk." She ventured inside. "Penny? I'm coming in, okay?" She glanced around the living room and towards the kitchen. No Penny.

Sheldon had shuffled after her, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the scattered laundry, food containers, miscellaneous trash, and general disorder around the apartment, and grumbled: "And she refuses other people's help in clearing this nest of germs and disease."

Amy checked the bedroom and bathroom, but didn't find Penny in those places either.

"Perhaps she has gone home to Nebraska after realizing the futility of an actress of her caliber trying to break into the entertainment business," he suggested; he hung his head when she looked sharply at him.

"Please try calling her cellphone," she requested. He rolled his eyes but obliged, pulling out his phone and selecting a number. They both jumped when a loud techno tune bleared from somewhere in the apartment. She followed the sound, peeking behind the counter—she spied an arm on the floor. She gasped and went around: Penny was sprawled face-down on the floor, several empty liquor bottles littered around her. "Penny!" she dropped on her knees and struggled to flip the unconscious woman on her back. Penny's face was pale and drawn, her skin was cold, clammy, and tinged with a bluish tint, and her breathing was much too slow for comfort. Patches of vomit crusted down the front of her shirt and on the floor. "Oh my goodness... you need to go to the hospital." She slung one of Penny's arms around her shoulders and looked expectantly up at Sheldon.

He merely stared down at her, cringing at the mess.

"Sheldon!"

"B-But!"

"I need your help," she pleaded. He shuddered and took Penny's other arm, though he looked like he was about to vomit himself.

They dragged the blonde down the stairs, cursing the non-functional elevator every step of the way, and out of the building. Penny was settled in the backseat of Amy's car; she jumped in the driver's seat and attempted to start the car but her shaking hand failed to insert the key. "Ugh!"

Sheldon watched her for a few moments before resolutely stepping out of the passenger seat and opening the door at her side, holding out his palm. "I don't think it would be safe for you to drive in that condition."

She gawked at him with round eyes. "You can't drive."

"I can, but I choose not to." He jerked his palm closer.

She had no choice but to surrender the keys.

* * *

><p>After a harrowing ride (Amy had NO idea exactly how unpracticed Sheldon's driving abilities were until that day), they reached the emergency room. Amy filled the necessary forms with Sheldon's help, he made some phone calls, and Penny was admitted for treatment. When she finished the last of the forms, she walked to the middle of the waiting room. At one side, Sheldon stood beside a row of seats. He held his fists stiffly to his chest, as if trying to make himself as small as possible and prevent from touching anything.<p>

The adrenaline was wearing off and she swayed unsteadily when a wave of weariness washed over her. She caught herself just in time. _Penny. Alcohol poisoning._ She had heard the nurses: she appeared to have spent since yesterday in a state of intoxication and steady drinking, her vital signs were dangerously low, they would have to check for permanent liver damage. _What if we hadn't checked on her?_ A chill shot up her spine. Suddenly, her eyes brimmed with tears that soon trailed down her cheeks; she ducked to hide them. The more she attempted to stifle her shaking sobs, the more she shuddered, the more tears fell.

Her eyes were trained on her loafers; a pair of larger ones appeared at the edge of her vision. She lifted her head. Sheldon stood one step apart from her. Tentatively, she closed the distance so that her toes touched his. He didn't open his arms but neither did he back away. He didn't move at all. So, she didn't throw her arms around him. Instead, she leaned forward until her forehead rested against his chest. She felt his muscles tense with movement and she nearly backed away, but his hand only removed her glasses and gently pushed at the back of her head, drawing her closer. She buried her face in his chest in earnest, breathing the soothing scents of baby powder and fabric softener. Her steady tears dampened his shirt but he still didn't move. She reached up with one hand, her fingers clutching at the edge of his outer shirt's sleeve.

They stayed that way, for a minute or an hour, but it wasn't until a group of familiar voices were right beside them that Amy pried herself off Sheldon. Leonard, Howard, and Bernadette were asking questions at the same time. She could only stare at their blurry forms, bewildered.

"Guys, please, they're as shocked as we all are," Raj appeared from behind the group. He sighed and lightly stroked Amy's hair. "Poor darling, you've had a difficult week." He inched closer to her.

It was then that she realized she was still holding on to Sheldon's sleeve. She furtively let go and dropped her hand at her side. Raj took it and squeezed.

A middle-aged, female doctor approached them: "Family for Penny—"

"Here!" Leonard stepped forward. "How is she?"

"She's on her way to recovery, we've hooked her to an IV since she's extremely dehydrated," the doctor said. "We'll have to run some tests later, but for now, a few visitors can go see her, if you wish."

Howard and Raj nodded at Leonard. "I think Sheldon and Amy must be worried, after they found her like that," Bernadette suggested.

Leonard gestured at both of them. Sheldon stepped beside his best friend. Amy slipped her hand away from Raj's and walked with the two men, the doctor leading the way. She felt something poke against her palm; she closed her hand over it and realized they were her glasses. She looked up, and could only just discern Sheldon, staring straight ahead. She took the glasses and put them back on. Leonard pushed the door open and instantly went to Penny's bedside. Sheldon and Amy lingered a few paces away.

"Leonard?" Penny rasped, squinting against the bright lights.

"I'm here," he said in a quiet but steady voice.

Her hand flailed weakly until he clasped it. She slapped her other hand over their joined hands. "Leonard, stay here, _please_."

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

She made a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh. Her eyes closed, though her forehead was still drawn. He brushed the fingers of his free hand from her forehead and down to her hair.

Amy gazed into Sheldon's blue eyes. She didn't need to say anything. By tacit agreement, they slowly and silently withdrew from the room.

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to those who reviewed; I'm glad to know you're still reading this. I was a bit scared all my readers have left me.


	11. An empty space

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XI. An empty space**

It had been approximately two weeks since that incident with Sheldon and Amy bringing a passed-out and completely intoxicated Penny to the emergency room. Penny had since recovered and was enrolled into a support group. Meanwhile, Raj had been absent from their group once again. Leonard had surmised that Raj had been reminded of that previous instance of alcohol poisoning that Penny had, back when their social group had been in shambles, and felt uncomfortable about the situation.

Whatever Raj's reason was, the result was the same for Sheldon: no Rajesh Koothrapali meant no Amy Farrah Fowler. Where Rajesh Koothrapali was, there Amy Farrah Fowler was. And to think if not for one choice, it could've as easily turned out as, where Sheldon Cooper was, there Amy Farrah Fowler was…

Sheldon had only seen Raj in their shared office and Amy hadn't come again, not even once. He could barely hide his disappointment, much less deny it to himself. He was also… concerned. That perhaps he miscalculated when he told her that she should have been with him. She was, after all, with Raj. Social protocol dictates that it would be unseemly for her to leave her current pairbonded male for a close friend of the said male. More than that, someone as intelligent as Amy Farrah Fowler would have a keen insight to the human heart. Coupled with her kind nature… she wouldn't leave Raj just like that.

"Sheldon, Sheldon!" The voice made him jump. He blinked and saw Leonard sitting in his usual armchair, holding two DVDs at his face. "Should we watch 'Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture' or the 2009 reboot?"

He scrunched his face. "Is that a rhetorical question? Why on Earth would I even want to watch the 2009 version?"

His roommate shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, Amy's coming—and Bernadette too—and I think she might prefer the reboot."

"If you've already decided what she'd prefer, then it's a waste of time to ask for my opinion," he stood up from his spot on the couch and strode to the kitchen for a bottle of water. He took a long drink. Still facing the refrigerator, he asked: "And why would you think to ask me about Amy Farrah Fowler's preferences, Leonard?"

"Hmm, the two of you seem to be birds of a feather, two of a kind…"

Sheldon glanced sideways at him. Despite his apparent nonchalance, Leonard's brown eyes were bright and alert behind his spectacles. For once, the homunculus had rendered the Homo Novus speechless. There was a knock on the door and he dashed off to answer it, sighing with relief—

It was Raj and Amy. He nearly choked on his own breath.

"Hello!" Raj chirruped, his dark cheeks tinged with red. Beside him, Amy wrung her hands. He all but skipped into the apartment and settled in Sheldon's spot. "I'm excited about movie night, do you have the plain popcorn? Flavored popcorn will wreak havoc on my diet." Leonard frowned at him with mild confusion and Sheldon glowered.

"Get out," he growled.

"I must apologize for him," Amy said. She pulled Raj off Sheldon's spot and sat beside him. "We've resumed the placebo experiment and I mixed something too strong."

"I thought Howard and Bernadette would be arriving with you?" Leonard asked.

Raj sulked. "They'll be late, Howard had to go with Bernadette to pick out invitations."

Sheldon slumped in his spot, griping: "If he had errands, he should've been mindful of our schedule."

"Pfffft!" Raj snorted. "That's what he gets for having a girlfriend, she cramps his style."

Leonard squinted at him. "... You have a girlfriend."

"Yes I do, and how adorable she is." He threw an arm around Amy's shoulders and pulled her closer, grinning. "Sometimes I forget, you know I was so scared of not ever getting a girlfriend. But at least I got one before Sheldon!"

Sheldon clenched his fists. "Raj—"

"Raj," Amy cut in. "You're being testy because Bernadette refused to let you pick out the invitations."

"No, I'm not," he whined. "I just think we should do things just us guys sometimes."

She rolled her eyes. "If you wanted me to leave—"

"That's not what I meant!" He flung his arms around her waist, pouting.

Sheldon gritted his teeth. "Well, what do you mean?"

Raj looked at them with large, shining eyes. "We should geek it out like in the old days."

Leonard pushed his glasses up his nose and leaned forward, intrigued. "What do you propose?"

Despite the lure of what could be an epic fantasy and/or sci-fi immersion activity, Sheldon's desire to contradict the little Indian man in every way was too strong. "Raj, we're not children, so whatever it is you're suggesting—"

"A non-stop weekend of owning the new Star Wars game!" Raj exclaimed. "Start Saturday morning, go 48 hours, sleeping bags, junk food."

"I'm in," Leonard immediately said.

Sheldon crossed his arms. "That's unhealthy and have you forgotten what happened the last time we had a gaming marathon?"

"The cops came," Raj chuckled. "We were so badass."

"Since when did you care, Sheldon?" Leonard frowned.

"Someone needs to be the voice of reason here," he muttered, his eye twitching.

Leonard rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We're having the gaming marathon this weekend. I'm sure Howard's up to it too."

"Whoo-hoo!" Raj threw his hands in the air.

Amy cleared her throat. Raj patted her back. "Are you alright?"

She was scowling at him. "No Raj, I'm most certainly not alright. Are you forgetting something?"

"Ummmmm…"

Amy planted her hands on her hips. "We're going to Orange County for my aunt's birthday. You're meeting my family."

Sheldon's eyes bugged out in alarm. _Meeting her FAMILY? What does that even mean?!_

"Oh… riiiiight. I'm so sorry darling, I forgot." Raj grabbed her hand and patted it appeasingly. "Can we have the gaming marathon the weekend after?"

Leonard nodded. "Ye—"

"Absolutely not!" Sheldon protested. "The schedule has been set for this weekend!"

His roommate furrowed his brows. "You didn't even want to do it in the first place."

"That, it's… it's a matter of principle," he insisted.

Raj shrugged. "Alright, go ahead with the schedule then, I won't join this time."

"What?!" he barked.

The frown lines were smoothened away from Amy's forehead and she gazed at Raj softly, almost timidly. "Really?"

A corner of his mouth curled up. "This is more important isn't it? Besides, I promised you I'd go."

Her smile was so ecstatic that Sheldon felt as if he had been stabbed. "Thank you Raj, this means a lot to me."

He pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Of course—"

"You can't." Sheldon hissed.

Raj and Amy both turned to him. Leonard squirmed in his armchair, saying: "Sheldon—"

"What do you mean I can't?" Raj retorted.

"You're the one who proposed the activity," he snapped. "You can't abandon it."

"I'm sorry, but the trip to Orange County takes precedence."

"You can't go," he repeated.

"Why?" Raj challenged. "Why can't I go to the trip I promised my girlfriend?"

They glared at each other silently. Sheldon started: "Let me tell you something—"

At the same time, Raj said: "Don't think that I—"

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"_Please_, come in!" Leonard bellowed.

Howard entered with Bernadette, his grin disappearing when he saw Sheldon and Raj glaring at each other; he looked from one to the other, did a double-take at Amy, then finally asked Leonard: "So… what's up?"

"Just movie night," Leonard said. "For today, it's Star Trek, the 2009 movie."

"Good," Bernadette trilled. "Chris Pine is a cutie!"

* * *

><p><em>"Hey Sheldon," Leonard entered the apartment, trailed by Raj and Howard. "Clear your weekend. Starting Saturday morning, Star Wars marathon."<em>

_Raj pumped his fists, quietly cheering: "Whoo-hoo!"_

_Bouncing in his spot, Sheldon gaped at his friends. "Movies or video games? Or board game? Or trading card games? Or Lego's? Or dress up? Or comic books? Or dramatic readings of novelizations? Yes to all!"_

_From the kitchen, Amy glanced at him before turning back to the tea she was pouring._

_"We are going to play the online game," Leonard announced._

_"The online game?" he cried. "Bully!" He arranged his notebooks and flag cards on the coffee table and started scribbling._

_"Gentlemen, as much as I'm sure Sheldon would enjoy playing intergalactic make-believe, he and I have other plans." Amy sat in the armchair close to his spot, placing his mug on the table and putting both hands around hers. "We are attending my Aunt Flora's 93rd birthday party."_

_"Just tell her I can't come."_

_"She'll be disappointed if we don't show up," she said._

_"She's 93. She won't be disappointed for very long." He escaped to his computer desk, but she followed him._

_"No, hang on. I followed all the protocols set forth by you in the relationship agreement." She gave him a look that meant business. He bit his lip. "I made a written record request 72 hours in advance. I checked the tyre pressure on the car. I even contacted the Centres For Disease Control to find out what shots they recommend for travel to Orange County. FYI, it's none."_

_"Amy, the relationship agreement was not designed for either one of us to get our way."_

_She frowned at him. "You use it to get your way."_

_"I use it to get the right way. The fact that the right way is also my way is a happy coincidence." He strode back to his spot._

_Amy stalked after him and declared: "You gave me your word. You're coming with me."_

Sheldon flipped himself face-down on his bed and burrowed his head under a pillow. He didn't need to glimpse more into displaced memories to know how that would end.

* * *

><p>He sat with his long legs sprawled on the ground; the fog was so thick that he can barely see his feet. He felt rather than saw movement in front of him, then there was a splash of red that capped a small, aesthetically formed face with a smile that made him shudder. "Even in a world where Sheldon Cooper had Amy Farrah Fowler, he..." He bit his lip. "Have you come to mock me?"<p>

"It appears that I don't have to," she said, her voice cloying and contemptuous at the same time.

"She's not for Raj..." he mumbled.

"But he's such a nice guy," she cooed. "So nice and so sweet and soooo considerate..."

She moved back and started gliding away. He scrambled to his feet and shouted after her: "Is that the reason? Why are you doing this?"

The Girl with the Red Straw Hat didn't answer or acknowledge his question in any way before she faded into the mist.

* * *

><p>Sheldon dumped his laptop in his spot, tore off his headset, and stalked to the kitchen. "This is a disaster." He snatched the tea canister and put a kettle to boil.<p>

"Hey, you can't just leave your character like that." Leonard said sternly, but he took out the teapot and cups. "Are you still pissed about Raj?"

He scowled in the direction of the living room, where Howard and Bernadette were twittering at each other like two literal lovebirds. "No Leonard, I'm happy that Raj acted with utter disregard for our group's schedule, I'm happy that he has been replaced by Bernadette who only heals Howard and is more concerned with the irrelevant visual accessorizing of her character, and I'm happy that we've already run out of Red Vines after failing to stock the adequate quantity."

"Sarcasm, Sheldon? I didn't know you had it in you," Leonard joked. When he narrowed his eyes, his best friend pointed out: "You're the one who insisted on going through with the activity."

"We can't change schedules willy-nilly," he said half-heartedly.

"You were just hoping that Raj wouldn't go with Amy... "Leonard stepped back when he turned sharply. "I'm just saying, you didn't have to do this if you didn't want to."

"You're right, I don't." He stomped to his room and grabbed his laundry basket.

Leonard gaped at him incredulously as he passed. "Sheldon?!"

"I might as well do my laundry, which I had set aside for this activity." He closed the front door before Leonard could say anything more.

He had thought that escaping into a space adventure would help him take his mind off that Raj is… with Amy. With her family. But Raj's obvious absence had only served to taunt him of who was with Amy Farrah Fowler. _Not me._ He descended several flights of stairs until he reached the laundry room. Someone was already there.

Penny winced when she saw him, but sportingly greeted: "Hey, sweetie."

"Hello, Penny," he said, unsure as to how he should act. For the past two weeks, he had only seen her in the hallways and stairs, and she hadn't appeared in their apartment, not for food, not for company, not even for the wi-fi password. He had deduced that she was avoiding them, and for good reason: there was nothing to be proud of about the state they had last seen her in.

They silently did their laundry—he sorted his and she tossed hers haphazardly—for several long minutes. Then she suddenly said: "You must be wondering what happened to me that day."

"Not in particular," he muttered.

She didn't seem to hear him. "I didn't go to work because I was feeling so tired, but I couldn't sleep when I tried. I thought I'd have a drink to help me sleep, but I still couldn't sleep, so I drank some more… the next thing I knew I couldn't move. Then it's all hazy. After that, I woke up in the hospital."

_Does Penny have the idea that I'm severely lacking in problems such that I'd be willing to share hers?_ He held his tongue. Unwilling as he was to participate in… whatever she was doing, there was the matter of her emotional and mental condition to consider...

She laughed joylessly. "I wasn't expecting to see Leonard with another girl again, I thought... I-I was so relieved when he broke up with Priya, but… I'm just being stupid..."

He loaded a machine, keeping his eyes on his detergent measurements. The nature of her troubles only reminded him of his own. Maybe if he didn't respond she'd stop...

She shook a random amount of detergent over her clothes, still talking: "It gets a bit lonely, and with Bernadatte busy for the wedding, I… end up drinking." He shut the washing machine, picked up his laundry basket, and started to leave, but Penny yelled after him: "Hey, where are you going?!"

He fidgeted, transferring the basket from hand to hand. "Away."

"I was talking to you."

He sighed in despair. "Penny, I thought I had always made my stance on your personal affairs perfectly clear: it doesn't concern me."

She huffed. "Geez Sheldon, here I was thinking that you helped save me because we're friends and you care in your own way, but I'm sorry for thinking like that—"

Her words didn't register, he was remembering memories that never happened. His eidetic memory also reminded him of Amy's enthusiasm when she was on her way to Penny. He murmured: "But Amy would."

Penny tilted her head. "Amy? Oh yeah, she was really the one who found me. Amy, huh..."

Even hearing her name brought a flush to his cheeks. "Oh, darn." He turned away so Penny wouldn't see his face. "I suggest that you give Amy a call and 'hang out' with her. She might find that… agreeable."

"Really? You think so?"

"Yes, yes," he nodded. "She's particularly charitable to primates with substance addictions."

"I'd punch you in the face, but you actually had a good idea. She and Bernadette are getting close. She seems nice, a bit strange, but nice." She smirked at him. "Kind of like you, but nice."

"Whatever you say. Now if you'll excuse me." He left the laundry room and headed back to apartment 4A.

Opening the door revealed the sight of pizza boxes, even though it clearly wasn't Pizza Day, and worse—liquor bottles covered the remaining surface area of the coffee table. "What in the world is going on here?"

**Author's Notes:** I've got nothing to say, except: review, maybe.


	12. The wrong place

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XII. The wrong place**

Raj was getting along well with practically everyone. He impressed her uncles and aunts, charmed her female cousins (a little too well), and even managed not to get on the wrong side of the brutes who were her male cousins. As for Mrs. Fowler, she adored him.

It was a disaster.

"Where did you find a boy like that and why hasn't my Anna found one?" Her Aunt Lisa asked accusingly. Amy knew her real question was: _"Why would someone like you have a boy like that?"_

"I'm a scientist, Aunt Lisa, he took part in one of my experiments…" she simplified, not including the details about dating websites and blind dates that never showed up.

"I knew I should've insisted that she go to college and do those science things," the older woman muttered, looking darkly at her daughter who was currently twirling her sun-streaked hair while tilting her head at an angle that could possibly give her a stiff neck. Amy chose not to remind her aunt that it was a miracle her cousin even finished high school in the first place and had been kicked out of community college.

"Darling." He beckoned her with a crook of his finger and waved his empty beer bottle at her. "Do you think you can get another one of these for me, pretty please?"

She snatched the bottle and pushed it towards Anna, ignoring the latter's indignant little shriek. "Raj, I think you've had enough."

Another cousin, Christine, offered him her wine glass, licking her lips. "You can have mine, Rajie."

_Rajie?_ Amy intercepted the wine glass and dumped it in Anna's hands as well. Tempering the annoyance in her voice, she looked around at her smirking female cousins. "I ask you all to kindly not interfere with our experiment. He has already had too much alcohol as it is."

"Come now Darling, don't be jealous." He grinned at her then at her cousins. "She's like an insecure little schoolgirl sometimes, it's kind of cute." The girls giggled, while giving Amy dubious sidelong glances.

"I'm not jealous," she clarified.

"Okay Darling, if you say so," he said in sing-song, winking conspiratorially at her female cousins who laughed in earnest this time.

"Girls, girls, come on now, don't tease your cousin," Aunt Lisa and the other older women said, but they were also chuckling amongst themselves. Amy tried to ignore her mother's watchful stare, with narrowed eyes and pursed lips.

She was mortified to feel her blood boiling and staining her cheeks red—it was as if she was weird little Amy again. "Has anyone ever informed you that when you are drunk, you are, to put it in colloquial terms, an ass?"

"Hmm, I might have heard so from Howard… and Leonard… and Penny…" he counted them down on his fingers. Amy shook her head exasperatedly and spun on her heel, but Raj caught her by the arm.

"Amy? What's wrong?" His dark eyes were round, and had their usual look of concern.

"Raj, you're so sweet to our poor Amy, she'll always have happy memories of her time with you," Anna chimed.

Her eyebrow immediately shot up and her jaw dropped; it took every fiber of her self-control to stay her trembling hand and not give the hussy a smart slap, but Raj was blinking in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you'll have to work your way up to a real woman sometime," she whispered in a low, throaty voice, flicking a long, red fingernail at his tie.

Amy couldn't take it anymore: she pulled away but Raj's insistent tug was stronger and she was suddenly in his arms. "Amy's my woman," he declared. She looked up at him, her breath taken by the blazing determination in his eyes. "She's not like other girls, but she's sweet and cute in her own way. She's naïve and innocent and sensitive, and I'm going to take care of her."

Her elation evaporated just as quickly. _What does he mean by that?_

Anna was blushing—out of fury or out of shame, Amy couldn't tell. "Whatever, it's not like any guy's going to want to marry someone like her."

"You're wrong," he said. "I do intend to marry her."

Amy jumped. "Wait—!"

"No way!" Christine squeaked. Anna was muttering unintelligibly, her nostrils flaring. Her aunts and uncles made no effort to be discreet as they repeated the surprising news with shocked would-be whispers. Amy was the most surprised of them all.

"Is this true, Amy?" her mother asked, beaming in a way had last seen when she gave the valedictorian speech during her graduation.

She ached for that smile, but she couldn't lie. "Actually Mother—"

"Of course, Mrs. Fowler," Raj confirmed.

"When?" Mrs. Fowler gasped.

"In a year, possibly," he said. "My parents would need the time to prepare for the event."

She coughed. "A year—?"

Amy's mother all but gurgled in delight, clasping her hands tightly. "Oh Amy, this is such wonderful news!"

"Raj!" She cried. The whole party hushed, but she couldn't bring herself to care. "You're… extremely flushed, I believe you need water, lots of it." She pulled him out of the living room, past the dining hall, and into a corner of the kitchen, ignoring the pleas of the caterers to be allowed to assist and escort them out.

"But Amy," he said, "I'm not yet done talking to them..." She turned round at him so forcefully that he was forced to take a step back. The caterers were all suddenly busy serving the trays, taking out the trash… being somewhere else.

"What was that about?" she demanded.

"What was what about?"

"That. Why would you tell my family that we're getting married in a year?"

"Why are you angry?" he asked, his pitch rising. "Don't you want to be married to me?"

"That's not the point," she said evasively. "You can't just say something that huge without my input—without giving me a warning even!"

His face brightened. "Oh, I understand. It's because I haven't proposed yet. What was I thinking, I haven't even given you ring."

"Raj!"

Not seeming to hear her shriek, he nodded. "We can go ring shopping tomorrow, then a small party for the engagement, I'll tell my parents tonight, they'll be shocked but I'm sure they'll be glad you're not some blonde brainless beauty of gold-digger with a shifty past, all-in-all a genius brunette neurobiologist from a well-off family is so much better than they would've expected I'm capable of getting..."

"Raj." She planted her hands on her hips and used her professor voice. "You've had too many to drink. This isn't something you should be talking about in this state. I think we should go." But when she grasped his hand, he swept her back to the living room, stumbling and protesting. Her entire family was deathly quiet and jumped at their return—she was sure they had heard them talking.

"Amy..." He started to drop on one knee, much to her horror.

She wasn't sure it was her mother or one of her aunts who squealed, but her male cousins hooted and cheered, while Anna, Christine, and the other girls stared with their jaws on the floor. Before Raj could say anything more, she ran.

She was already at the door when she glanced at Aunt Flora sitting in her chair near the front window. She bulldozed her way through several family members until she was standing before Aunt Flora. "I'm sorry, I have to go, Aunt Flora."

"Amy," the elderly lady squeezed her hand. "What's most important is for you to be happy."

She quickly kissed her aunt's cheek, then fled the house.

"Amy, wait!" Strong arms encircled her from behind and she was pressed against Raj's chest. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry if I scared you. But I… all I wanted was to make you feel happy and secure."

She almost burst into tears. "I know that. I know that a girl like me should consider herself lucky that a guy like you would even propose." She shook her head at his usual assurances. "No, I'm not beautiful or charming or sweet. My only excellent point is academic intelligence. And that's why it's even more important for me to know why."

"Why what?"

"Why are you even with me?"

His chest swelled against her back as he inhaled. "You might not believe me… but I've had this urge to take care of you, since I first saw you that day."

"You mean on the day that Sheldon didn't show up."

His chest rumbled as he growled: "He can't ever take care of you, Amy! He doesn't know how, all he cares about is himself and his orderly little world."

He was probably right, she knew, but she couldn't bring herself to agree. "..."

"Amy, I want to see you smile, I want you to never feel disappointed, I want you to always be safe, I want to keep your heart from breaking. Isn't that enough?"

"It might be too much."

"Huh?"

"Raj… sometimes, I have absolutely no idea how you see me," she whispered. "But I can tell you this, I can take care of myself. Maybe not perfectly well, yet somehow, I manage."

"Then what would you have me do?"

She didn't have an answer.

* * *

><p>It was only nine o'clock. But after going through the party, the almost proposal, the long drive back, and dealing with a mostly apologetic and slightly tipsy Raj who didn't seem to want to leave when dropped off at his apartment, she didn't want to crawl out from where she had burrowed under her covers, not even to change her clothes. Her text message alert sounded and she cursed, tempted not to check her phone, but remembered that it might be her mother, who would hold a grudge if she didn't get an immediate response. Her hand crept over her nightstand until she found her phone and pulled it under her nest. To her surprise, it was from an unknown number.<p>

_hi ames, got ur numbr fr bernie, we r goin 2 a club, wana hang out? its girls nyt out! :D -penny_

She threw off the covers. Penny? Penny actually wanted to hang out with her? Smoothing down her hair and clothes, she slipped on her loafers and examined herself in the mirror. She attempted to smooth down a prominent wrinkle on her jacket, then gave up and changed to a striped red cardigan instead. Better.

With her messenger bag slung on, she went out of the apartment and was about to hop in her car, when she considered… _Surely, I deserve to go ca-razy tonight._

She hailed a cab instead.

* * *

><p>Because of the relatively early hour, there weren't many people in the club, and Amy immediately spotted Penny who was waving her arms excitedly, jumping on her ottoman. "Amy!"<p>

Amy hurried to the table, smiling at Bernadette, Penny… Sheldon?

He sat very straight in the loveseat, his blue eyes making her think of a particularly handsome deer caught in headlights.

"Sit down, sit down!" Penny exclaimed, but Amy hesitated: Bernadette and Penny were both sitting on the only two ottomans, and that left...

Sheldon looked at her, eyes sweeping slowly over her cardigan, before glancing away and saying: "Let me go get another chair—" but Penny pushed Amy in the seat, pinning him in place. He became very still, that Amy was almost afraid he had stopped breathing and observed his face.

"I know I said it's girls' night out, but the guys suddenly had a beer and pizza party, so Bernadette and I had to take him to his scheduled dinner and we had no choice but to bring him with us here," Penny explained, and winked playfully. "Anyway, it's kind of your fault."

"Me?!" She blinked.

"The boys decided to cheer up Raj because he was sad," Bernadette replied. "You two had a fight?"

"We… I'm not sure what we had," she admitted.

Penny pushed one of the drinks in front of her. "Here sweetie, a Cosmopolitan should ease those troubles out of you."

"Penny," Sheldon scolded. "She doesn't want that—" She grabbed the drink and, steeling herself, took a series of long swallows until it was gone. He gaped at her.

"Should I repeat the detrimental effects of alcohol on brain functions?"

"Don't patronize me, Dr. Cooper," she retorted. "I'm a neurobiologist, I know everything there is to know about the human brain."

"Except how to take care of it, apparently," he mumbled.

"Sweetie, shut up and drink your milk," Penny said. Pouting his lips like a petulant child, he sipped his beverage through a straw. "Good job Amy, though that drink was meant to be sipped, not inhaled."

"But, Penny." Amy creased her forehead. "You shouldn't be drinking."

"This is a Shirley Temple," Penny informed her, shaking a tall glass. "Bernadette's my alcohol police for tonight, though she's allowed to have a few."

The smaller blonde giggled, and raised her own Cosmopolitan. "Let's have fun tonight, Amy. I'm sure by tomorrow, you and Raj will be okay again." She felt that was her cue to agree, but she only raised her second glass and took a tiny sip. Her head was already buzzing from the drink she had knocked back. Their little friend tilted her head thoughtfully. "Believe me, Amy. After all, the two of you are the reason Howard and I are getting married."

"Wha..?" She gripped her glass with both hands so she won't drop it. "What do you mean?" Beside her, Sheldon's legs and shoulders tensed, but he kept silently staring at his milk.

"Well… Howard had proposed to me before, but I rejected it," Bernadette said.

"Yeah, you told me." Penny nodded. She hissed: "Back when Priya was here."

"I said 'no' then. I love him, but I couldn't find it in me to let go of my doubts and fears and just… believe. That 'yes' would be the right choice, that that was it, true love. I mean, how can I believe, when good people couldn't find it. Even a cutie-pie like Raj couldn't have it…"

Amy took a generous gulp of her drink.

Bernadette smiled. "One day, Raj told me and Howard: 'I've been seeing a really nice girl. I asked her to be my girlfriend and she said yes.' We went on that double-date. Afterwards, I said to Howard: 'Ask me again!'"

Penny gaped. "Oh… because Raj finally got a girlfriend?"

"A good girlfriend," Bernadette emphasized. "That finally restored my belief in love."

"Amy, how did you become Raj's girlfriend anyway?" Penny asked. "How did he make you say yes?"

She couldn't stop herself from glancing at Sheldon: he was biting his lip and watching her intently. "He called me out of the blue, wanting to participate in my experiments. It was already a year since we first met at that time—" She swirled her drink, accidentally splattering a few drops on the table. "One day, after a trial when I successfully got him talking, I was cleaning up in the lab and he was helping and he simply asked me if I wanted to have dinner that night. Coffee or dinner became a habit and so did the way he drove me home afterwards. At some point, he asked me to have dinner even on random days or sometimes we went to the movies or a concert, and it was then that I realized we were dating…"

* * *

><p><em>They walked slowly, with Raj's hands over her eyes. Amy could feel grass tickling her toes through her new, strappy yellow sandals and an upward slope under her feet. "Raj, where are we going? It's dangerous to walk in this manner, especially considering how we seem to be going uphill and it's too dark for you to be able to lead me properly."<em>

_"Don't worry, we're almost there," he assured her. "It will be worth it."_

_She frowned. Why was he being suspicious? She was almost starting to suspect that he had less than innocent motives to leading her to this remote area..._

Well,_ a saucy voice in her head said, _I could do worse than be ravished by someone like Rajesh.

_As soon as they stopped, he uncovered her eyes. She opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by stars… she gasped, she was standing just a foot away from a ledge, but Raj held her securely round the waist. From their elevated, deserted location, the stars of the moonless sky appeared close enough to touch._

_Raj led her away from the ledge and started pointing out a few constellations. "That's Queen Cassiopeia, and that's her daughter, Andromeda."_

_"I'm familiar with the names and forms of the constellations. I even know their stories. But I've never been able to recognize them in the sky," she said wistfully._

_"I have a special sky map program that will help you identify constellations," he offered, taking out his tablet and holding it up to the sky, tilting it however which way, as if to find the proper view. "Here."_

_Following his instructions, she replaced his hand on the tablet and peered into the screen. The points of the stars were joined by fragile lines, forming eight symbols. Rather, they were letters. She blinked but the letters didn't disappear. She swept the tablet across the sky, spun in a circle, but whenever she returned to that angle the letters would appear._

WIL U B MY GF?

_She turned to him. He was wiping his palms on his pants, swallowing hard. "Will you?" he squeaked._

_How could she say no?_

_So she didn't. "Yes."  
><em>

* * *

><p>Bernadette and Penny both gaped in awe. "Woah." Penny whistled. "I knew he was a romantic but that…"<p>

"Was something else," Bernadette finished.

"I'm really happy for you girls, but this is making me feel sorry for myself," Penny chuckled. "I need to go to the bathroom, then we dance! Wanna come with?"

"Sure." Bernadette stood up.

"Go ahead," Amy said. The two blondes left, and she only had Sheldon for company, their arms and legs touching in the too-small loveseat. He threw back the rest of the milk and scrambled off his seat.

"I'm going to get another drink!" he barked, before leaving her with long, rapid strides, nearly bumping into one of the servers. She sighed. She couldn't blame him. Awkwardly avoiding being alone with each other... that was probably all that was left for them while they were in the same social circle: until Raj breaks up with her and hopefully allows her to stay with their group, or—her chest twinged at the thought—until Sheldon finds a girlfriend. Maybe then, they can finally act like friends.

"Hello! A hot little vixen like you shouldn't be sitting all by her lonesome. Can I interest you in a drink?" Amy could only gawk in confusion at the new arrival. That opening line had been almost flirtatious, but the person standing before Amy was a girl as pretty as a picture, with long dark hair and a youthful face. It was funny how she called Amy "little" since she was so tiny herself. Even though they were indoors, she wore a wide-brimmed red sunhat, but Amy supposed it was a stylish touch to her lacy minidress in pristine white. In her hands was a tray with several shot glasses, liquor bottles, and assorted implements.

"No, thank you," Amy declined. "I can't drink too much, my alcohol tolerance is poor, and my friends and I are going to dance."

The girl cocked her head and sulked. "They don't seem to be here, however. Just one drink. It's on the house and new to the drinks list, so we're giving out free samples." Before Amy could protest, the girl knelt by the low table, unmindful of her perfect white dress, set a shot aflame and sprinkled it with sugar and spice. After trapping the fumes in a tall glass, the girl urged her to drink the shot through a straw. It was sickeningly sweet and surprisingly strong. The girl pushed the straw into the glass and from the first breath, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. "Good," the girl cooed. "That was a nice, strong drink, wasn't it?"

"HEY!" At that indignant cry, the girl retrieved her tray, smiled like the Cheshire Cat, and sashayed away before Sheldon could reach the table. "Amy Farrah Fowler!" He was immediately at her side. "Who was that strange girl? Why would she give you a strange drink? Why did you accept a strange drink from a strange girl?"

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, but when she slowly opened her eyes, the whole club was still spinning. "I... don't know." She stood and clutched his arm when he moved to follow the girl. "Don't, she was only doing her job." His hand rested on the small of her back to steady her, but she let go of him and turned to the approaching voices of Penny and Bernadette.

"Penny, stay still," Bernadette was complaining, but the taller blonde ignored her and unsteadily skipped ahead.

"Heeeey, there's the girl who saved my life!" Penny squealed and stumbled towards her.

It was as if the sounds of the club dropped to a low hum, and Amy could only hear Bernadette's "Wait!" and Sheldon's "Oh!" as Penny pulled her into a hug and—whether accidentally or on purpose—kissed her.

**Author's Notes:** Maybe in this fanfic, everybody else will get to kiss Amy before Sheldon does.


	13. A frantic pace

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XIII. A frantic pace**

Sheldon and Bernadette jumped at the same time to pry the two women apart. He noticed the color deepen upon Amy Farrah Fowler's cheeks, horrified, and shoved her behind him. He turned to Penny, bristling with far more betrayal than he technically had the right to feel, and yelled: "Penny!"

"Oh, will you chiiiill," she slurred. For a moment, her sidelong glance gleamed with far too much awareness for someone intoxicated. "You snooze, you lose." She slipped around Sheldon and her hand flew on a trajectory straight towards Amy Farrah Fowler's behind, and he could only watch, frozen—

"Penny!" Bernadette caught the errant hand between both of hers. "Be a good girl and stop that."

"Don't be jealousss, Bernie." She winked. "You're still my girl." Before anyone else could react, her free hand bestowed a resounding smack on the other blonde's backside. Bernadette rolled her eyes.

"Penny, did you ingest alcohol?!" he demanded.

She snorted. "What, a genius like you couldn't figure that out?"

"You weren't supposed to have any!" he yelled.

"Calm down, Sheldon." Bernadette placed her hands on Penny's shoulders. "She said she didn't know that it was alcohol."

"How could she not know what she was drinking?"

"A girl giving free shots of a new drink offered them to her, she didn't ask what it was. She already drank the flaming shot before I caught up with her."

"A flaming shot? A _flaming_ shot?!" He glared from one blonde to the other. "How can it be non-alcoholic if it caught on fire? Even Penny couldn't be that…" he noticed Penny gnashing her teeth.

"I hate you Sheldon, you're so mean!" she snarled.

"Ssh, ssh…" Bernadette patted her head and sighed. "Maybe she did know what it was. It looks like she had a few of them. But she did try to behave tonight."

Sheldon stiffened and flushed when he felt Amy sway and press against his back, fingers trailing down his shirt and as for her breasts… He gulped. "I think your carefree night of girls gone wild has gone too far. We should bring them home."

"Okay." Bernadette nodded. "Take Penny back to your building and I'll take Amy to her apartment—"

"No!"

Her eyebrow shot up.

Sheldon cleared his throat. "I mean, you were Penny's guardian for tonight, seeing as you've failed your mission, you should take responsibility for seeing her home safely." She gave him a dirty look. He added, "Besides… I surmise that Penny wouldn't wish for Leonard to see her in this state, and he would, since I can't be the one helping her if she throws up."

"Why not?"

"Let me rephrase that: I don't want to."

"Fine, you do have a point. I'll have Penny stay at my place for tonight." She slung Penny's arm over her shoulder. "Are you sure you can bring Amy home?"

"I've been there with Raj before," he said. "I'll take care of her. I promise."

"You had better." There was enough threat in the petite woman's voice to make Sheldon stand ramrod straight and nod.

"Yes ma'am." He faced the wobbly Amy Farrah Fowler, and gingerly reached over to hold her steady but snatched his hands back when she shook and moaned.

"Don't turn off the airconditioner." She tore at the buttons of her cardigan, unfastening it, and started to strip it off, a pity since she looked so nice in it and the red stripes reminded him of candy… his throat went dry when he saw how her white blouse hugged every curve of her body. He waited until she had stuffed the cardigan in her bag.

"Ready?" he asked, more to himself than to her. His left arm hovered around her and his right hand above her shoulder, trembling as he anticipated the contact—

"What are you dallying around for, hurry up!" Bernadette bellowed over her shoulder as she walked Penny out of the club.

"Yes!" He grabbed Amy and hurried after them, ignoring the incredulous looks from the other patrons.

"Wow, duuuude!" A tall, brawny fellow who reminded Sheldon of Penny's friend, Zach, pounded him on the back. "It's not even midnight and you already got that girl where you want her."

He wrinkled his nose. "Excuse me?"

"You've got to show me your moves."

"My _what_? Oww—" He coughed when the fellow elbowed him.

"How you get girls ready to have your way with them." The brute leered at Amy, who was clawing at the topmost button of her blouse. Sheldon firmly pulled her hand to her side and narrowed his eyes at the other man.

"Don't look at her like that," he growled and led Amy outside. Bernadette was struggling under Penny's weight, so Sheldon hailed a cab. "Go ahead, Bernadette."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Please go so we can be on our way as well."

When their cab sped off, he flagged down another one, gave the address to the driver, and opened the door for Amy. "Please get in." She ducked inside, teetered, and fell headfirst in the backseat with a muffled 'oof!' He sighed and hauled her up, pocketing her glasses which had come off. Supporting her by her arms, he lowered himself into the seat and guided her through the door. She fell again, but this time, he caught her in his arms. He pulled her inside and strained to close the door after her. He exhaled in relief. Then he realized that he was holding her and her face was mere inches from his own. She blinked. "W-Would you like your glasses?" He retrieved them from his jacket pocket and slipped them on her nose.

"I don't need them." She took them off and slipped them back in his pocket. "I can see you clearly from here." He didn't fuss; even the glasses couldn't dim the blazing green of her eyes.

"You smell like baby powder," she observed.

"You're referring to talc," he corrected, trying to use his indifferent 'lecture tone' but his words ended in a yelp when she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"The main component of baby powder," she murmured, her breath tickling his skin. "I like it."

"Would you please sit down properly?" He pushed her face away but she whined in protest and propped her hands on his thigh.

He wouldn't have been so bothered if the contact repulsed him as human contact usually did. However, her cheek felt soft and warm against his hand and the gentle pressure of her fingers made his thighs tingle. She swatted his hand away and snuggled against his chest, sitting so close that she was practically in his lap. His entire body responded with a shudder.

The taxi driver met his eyes in the rear view mirror, and said: "Hey, cool down you kids. You better not make a mess in there."

He wheezed as images from the infernal book Leonard and Penny gave him flashed in his mind. "We're not—I would never—that's—"

The older man's eyes flicked back to the road. "Yeah, yeah. Save it for when you get home. I'm driving as fast as I can."

"You don't understand... hnnggggh!" The car turned suddenly, sending the tipsy Amy sprawling over him and her hands landing in the space between his legs. When she groped around to push herself up, he clasped her wrists. "Let me help you." He straightened her up and she giggled.

"Thank you, Dr. Cooper." The slightly lower register of her voice spiked his pulse rate. She settled beside him, her head on his shoulder and her hands finding their way on his thighs again.

He bit his lip and tried to dismiss the sensations at every point she was touching him. The ride couldn't end soon enough.

* * *

><p>They reached the building and Sheldon dropped several bills in the driver's hand. "Keep the change," he mumbled, half-carrying Amy out the car.<p>

"You might want to let that lady sober up a bit before you make her world spin again, son," the older man called after him. His cheeks burned and he shook thoughts of the blasted book from his head, concentrating instead on bringing Amy up to her apartment.

As they shuffled down the hallway, she asked: "Do you want a nightcap?"

"Given your preoccupation with alcohol tonight, I'm going to assume that by 'nightcap,' you mean the drink, rather than the head accessory," he muttered. "And my answer is 'no.'"

"Fine." She pouted. "More Yoohoo for me."

He couldn't help but ask: "You have Yoohoo?"

"It's irrelevant since you don't want a drink," she said airily. "Or maybe I'll have strawberry Quik."

"I… wouldn't be opposed to drinking either beverage."

She giggled, pleased with herself. "One does not simply say 'no' to Yoohoo." She opened her door and staggered inside, all that stopped her from tripping over her own feet was his arm around her waist.

He helped her on the couch and suggested: "I'll get the drinks, since it would be hazardous to allow you to deal with breakable containers and spilling liquids in your condition."

"Mmm… okay." She curled against the back of the couch, tucking her legs under her, reminding him of an exceptionally attractive cat, especially with the way her green eyes slanted to look up at him.

In the kitchen, he located the Yoohoo in the exact refrigerator shelf he expected to find it and poured two glasses. He also poured a glass of cold water and carried the drinks on a tray back to the living room.

"Excessive alcohol intake causes dehydration," he recited and offered the glass of water to her. "Drink this first." She didn't take it. Smiling coyly, she leaned closer and lifted her chin. Licking his lips nervously, he brought the glass to her mouth. She drank the entire thing. "Um, very good." He replaced the glass on the tray and folded his hands on his lap.

"You _are_ capable of taking care of other people."

"Not 'other people,' but some people," he admitted.

"Like who?"

"Like you," he blurted out.

"And…?"

"… That's it."

"Hooo..." Gazing deep into his eyes, she tilted her head and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger: in another world, that would be the way she would look at him before she would lean forward and kiss him.

So, he kissed her.

Almost instantly, he realized what he had done and braced himself for the indignant slap. Nothing could have prepared him for her hands caressing his shoulders and her arms twining around his neck. She tilted her head and pressed insistently against his closed mouth, and all he could do was groan and part his lips. He tasted cinnamon, sugar, and a hint of alcohol that made his head whirl.

He broke the penetrating kiss after a few seconds, panting, and watched her green eyes flutter open. They were hazy with drunkenness, it didn't even seem like she could see him. She trailed feather-light kisses from the corner of his mouth to his ear. His chest ached at the thought that in her addled mental state, she wasn't really aware of what she was doing or who she was with.

"_Sheldon..._"

He quivered at the feel of his name against his ear, which his hands took as permission to rip her blouse open. A couple of buttons _ping_-ed off and he took note of their locations before he dedicated his full attention to her… holding his breath as he admired her pale skin and the swell of her breasts peeking from her purple bra then kissing his way from her collarbone and up her neck. Her head lolled back in pleasure and he had to cup her face between his hands to take her lips. They kissed again, bolder this time, tongues swirling and limbs tangling.

When they parted, she purred in satisfaction and embraced him, pressing her body flush against his. How can she be all softness and curves, so different from him? His hands traced her hips and dipped between her breasts, as if to find answers in her breathless cry.

Her hands were hardly idle: fingers tickling his earlobes or grazing the nape of his neck, palms running over the planes of his chest and stomach. She fiddled with the hems of his layered shirts before sliding her hands underneath—their coolness felt soothing to his feverish skin.

Then she yanked the shirts up and over his head; the rush of cold air made him shiver. That brought him back to Earth—he was touching Amy Farrah Fowler in ways fit for his fantasies, but this was reality and a reality where he was in no position to be in this position—he shrank back and shoved her away, pushing her flat on her back.

He could've called upon a deity he didn't believe in to smite him. He had approached her inappropriately then he had pushed her away: no matter how he looked at it, he was at fault. _I shouldn't have started this, she's drunk and vulnerable, now it got this far and I..._ For what felt like an eternity, he stared at the rise and fall of her chest, too afraid to move. "Amy… I…" He swallowed and leaned over her.

She was sleeping, her swollen mouth slightly open and her cheeks still flushed. It was only then that he noticed the emerald pendant hanging from a chain round her neck and cradled just above her breasts. It looked expensive but was a poor match to the shade of her eyes. _A tiara would've been better._ He closed her shirt over it, but not before gasping at the path of redness where his lips had pressed against her skin. His breathing accelerated and the world was becoming dark; it took every ounce of his self-control not to hyperventilate and pass out.

_I took advantage of her. In a world where it's Sheldon Cooper's duty to love Amy Farrah Fowler, he couldn't even bring himself to touch her. Yet in a world where I had no right to, I laid hands on her, I..._ He crouched on the floor and put his head between his knees, dizzy with confusion.

**Author's Notes:** The note from the last chapter was a Bazinga, obviously. I think y'all saw that coming.


	14. To rest

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XIV. To rest**

Amy woke up to the earth-shaking realization that she had either experienced the best nightmare or committed the worst indiscretion of her life.

She saw her bedroom ceiling and squeezed her eyes shut again, every muscle petrified as a flood of sensations assaulted her brain: the fragrance of talc and Sheldon's own scent as she snuggled against his broad chest; the sight of Sheldon's dilated blue eyes, stormy in their intensity as he leaned closer to her; the milky flavor of Sheldon's mouth as they kissed; the frenzied stroking of his long and sinewy fingers over her skin; the snap of fabric as she pulled Sheldon's shirts over his head—

_Sheldon._

She was gasping now, breath and pulse both quickening, and she dreaded what she would find when she opened her eyes. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she glanced at the space to her right. Blinking, she turned to her left.

Nothing.

She was all alone in her bed. She was relieved… and also letdown. _Did he… just leave me here?_

The covers were pulled to her chin so she grasped the edge with her shaking hands and peeked underneath. She wasn't wearing last night's clothes, but she was clad In her red plaid pajamas. _That's odd..._

She jumped out of bed, nearly blacking out when her head throbbed and spun. She stumbled to her dresser and examined her reflection: mussed hair, bleary eyes, dry lips, and her skin… she pulled her top's neckline down. Her neck and décolletage were as pale and clear as ever. She flinched and covered her skin, still feeling guilty as she recalled—or imagined—Sheldon's puckered lips aggressively kissing her. _Did that really..?_

Last night's outfit was folded on her dresser, two buttons from her blouse on top of her clothing. Her regular glasses were nowhere to be found. Her coffee table was clear, even though she had a vague memory of glasses of Yoohoo on it… and neglecting them as she eyed Sheldon in a deliberately coquettish manner. Her kitchen was free of spills and other messes that she would've expected from her condition during the previous night. Her oven clock displayed the right time—she had been meaning to correct it for days. _How..._

_What actually happened?_

* * *

><p>The day passed by in a blur of drowsiness, distractions, dropped objects and duplicated tasks that she couldn't complete in her dazed state. Even though she hadn't accomplished any work, it was a relief when her official work hours ended. She immediately left the laboratory and drove to the coffee shop.<p>

To her surprise, Sheldon was already there, standing by the doorway, even though it was still ten minutes before their appointed meeting time. "Sheldon… have you been here long?"

He appeared to study her face for some time before asking: "Is twenty minutes a long time?"

She gaped silently, then managed to say: "In this case, yes."

"Then I've been here for a long time."

"… Why?"

"I wanted to be punctual." He opened the door and waited for her to enter first. Inside, they both ordered hot chocolate—she offered to pay for both, since she had asked to meet him, yet he insisted that his mother would have him cover all the expenses, so they ended up splitting the bill.

They sat in a little corner table; Amy wrapped her hands around her beverage, but the paper cup didn't release enough heat to soothe her chilly hands. She surreptitiously looked up and found him looking down at his drink, biting his lip.

"Thank you for bringing me to my apartment last night—you… did bring me there, right?"

"Yes, I did. And… you're welcome."

"Also, I'm sorry about that." She ducked, embarrassed.

His head jerked up. "What are you talking about?"

"I must've made a lot of trouble for you…" She forced a laugh and gulped her hot chocolate, burning her tongue. She set her cup down and exhaled. "Actually, I don't remember much. I kind of remember you bringing me home, and then I at least had the presence of mind to offer you a drink, and then… I'm not sure what may or may not have happened."

He blinked and his face wasn't so much unreadable as several emotions passed too quickly for her to register them before his expression settled to one of confusion. "Oh. I see."

"Can I ask you to tell me… what happened last night?"

His stare returned to his hot chocolate, eyes shifting and twitching, and he was biting his lip again.

"Oh my goodness…" she murmured. _I did it, I really did that… _Flirting, kissing, touching _all those places_… To her horror, she burst into crying, unable to stem the flow of tears and emotions—mostly guilt.

"You're crying." He jumped off his seat and hurried away from the table.

She couldn't blame him: he had once told her that they were intended to be romantically pairbonded and yet she had rejected that idea, rightfully she thought, since she was with Raj, and she had proposed that they be friends only, and yet here she was violating the boundaries between platonic friends, sending him mixed signals, even though she had a boyfriend… She shook her head. She had cheated on Raj. All her life she wanted to be accepted and cared for by somebody, and the very first person who did just that, she had betrayed.

"Here."

She opened her eyes to a stack of paper napkins. She gazed up at Sheldon, another tear rolling down her cheek, overwhelmed by the simple gesture. When she took the napkins, he sat in his chair again.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I'm sorry." She cringed, dabbing at her face. "It's wrong of me to put you in this situation…"

"No, I-I… I only meant, that crying is a symptom of distress. If you inform me of what the cause of that said distress is, perhaps it could be remedied."

She gasped and clutched at her heart. _Oh Sheldon…_ She wiped the remnants of her tears, feeling much happier than she should be feeling. "I haven't had anybody treat me like Raj does, and to think I'd do this to him—he's a nice guy and a really sweet boyfriend, but I… was with you, and I..."

"You're concerned that, while the two of us were alone in your apartment, you might've behaved in a manner that violates the order of your relationship with Raj," he said.

"Yes." She stopped wringing her hands and folded them on the table. "Please tell me what happened, so I'd know what to do about it."

"After you had that strange drink, you became too inebriated for it to be advisable to continue the night's affair and Penny was in the same state. Bernadette brought Penny to her apartment, and I escorted you to your home. In the cab you were… rather cozy…" she grimaced, and he continued, "But I've been informed that's a common side-effect of drunkenness. As we approached your apartment, you asked me if I wanted a nightcap, so we went in for Yoohoo. We conversed for a while."

He stopped talking. She waited for a few moments and when he didn't say anything more, she prodded: "Then? What else did I do?"

"What else did you do?" he echoed. He licked his lips and carefully said: "After we talked, that was it."

"That was what? What did I do?"

"You. You did nothing."

She frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," he repeated.

"But…" she massaged her temples. "I was so drunk… and my clothes, the buttons… I was in my room… and my pajamas—" she leaned forward, adjusting her extra pair of glasses. "So, I went into my room and changed before going to bed."

"A possibility…" he muttered, swirling his cup of hot chocolate.

"And my oven clock—"

"That was me," he admitted. "Once… you were in your room, I put away the glasses in the kitchen and noticed the time on your oven. It was driving me crazy so I changed it. I left afterwards."

"Nothing happened…" she murmured. He gulped down the rest of his drink. She sighed, a few tears escaping her eyes as she did.

"You're crying again," he observed, alarmed.

She hiccupped and hurriedly swiped at her wet cheeks, half-sobbing and half-laughing. "It's just… I shouldn't even have any doubts. After I had argued with him too… I'm a horrible girlfriend."

"No. You're not." Sheldon said.

"What are saying?" Her thoughts drifted to Counterfactuals and what he had told her previously. "_A world where I showed up for our blind date, you work in primate addiction studies, Raj is nothing more than a friend you met through me, and we are together."_

"It can be difficult to assess oneself and one's actions from one's point-of-view," he replied quietly. "Sometimes one… does things one shouldn't do. Or doesn't do things that one should do. And one wouldn't realize that unless one looks at oneself from somewhere else."

Perplexed by the turn of the conversation, she watched him wordlessly gaze at the lacquered table surface. He appeared to notice her and continued: "I can see your case is the opposite. You expect too much from yourself." He paused for a beat. "You're not a horrible girlfriend. You're an excellent girlfriend. And a wonderful woman."

"Sheldon!" Before she could stop herself, she had leaned over the table and flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you." He didn't say anything. She remembered herself and sprang back. "I'm sorry, I forgot that you…" She put on a broad smile. "Thank you, for everything. I should probably go now." She picked up her purse and walked away.

"Wait, Amy!"

She spun around in an instant. "Yes?" Her fingernails dug into her palm as her grip tightened around her purse strap; she looked expectantly at those clear blue eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity, he pointed at her cup on the table. "You left your hot chocolate."

"Oh." She exhaled the breath she had been unconsciously holding and grabbed the cup. "You're right. I should take that. By the way, Sheldon?" She tapped the spectacles she was wearing. "Did you see the glasses I wore last night? I must've misplaced them."

He tugged at the long sleeve of his inner shirt. "I did last night."

"I guess I dropped them somewhere." She nodded at him, then all but ran out of the coffee shop and back to her car.

The edge of her guilt had been dulled… and yet at the same time, she burned with a secret sense of shame. Sheldon was averse to all forms of human contact, it was ridiculous to imagine that he'd actually touch her. How could she even think that she alone, of all people, would be the exception? The clarification of the last night's events was like a splash of cold water that not only brought her back to her senses, but also sprouted a traitorous seed of disappointment in her heart. _It was only a fantasy. How ridiculous._

"What was I thinking?!" she cried out loud as she turned a corner. _I should be relieved! Nothing happened, that's a good thing. That should be all._ But she mourned the imagined memories of heated kisses and an intimate embrace and blue eyes darkened with lust and nimble hands…

The car screeched to a stop when she slammed on the brakes. She clapped her hands over her nose and mouth, forcing herself to breathe slowly, pleading with her racing heartbeat to calm down. _You're going to relax. You're going to go in there. You're going to be a good girlfriend. Even Sheldon thinks you can do it._

Head held high, she strode on her way to the Astronomy department with renewed determination. She flung open the door of the telescope room and Raj looked up from the monitor, startled. "Amy? What are you—"

Without a word, she crossed the room, pulled him by the collar of his shirt, and kissed him like she had never kissed him before. He was still but she persisted and he finally responded eagerly. They were both breathing hard when they broke apart.

"Wow, what—" his eyes widened when she rested a finger on his lips.

"Let's forget what happened last night." Then she pressed her lips to his once more. His arms wrapped around her waist as he kissed her back. She kissed him fiercely, trying to dismiss the stubborn voice in her head saying that kisses in reality would never be as sweet as the ones in her dreams.

**Author's Notes:** I know you have a lot of questions, and this chapter didn't have a lot of answers, but that's hardly the end of it. My needy greedy baby heart would like to thank reviewers. Also, sometimes people send me words of encouragement through one of Tumblr's message options but I don't have the means to reply (activate your asks!), but I'd like you guys to know that I appreciate it. You know who you are. I'd also like to thank dreamkj for giving this chapter a read-through.


	15. The space between dreams and realities

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XV. The space between dreams and realities**

When Amy called Sheldon with the intention to meet, hope surged uncontrollably within his chest. After his indecent behavior, he was certain she would either tell him she never wanted to see him again or take the matter in her own hands and avoid him from that point on.

And yet she asked to talk to him.

He was so eager to see her again that he went to the coffee shop thirty minutes before their appointed meeting time. He was so nervous that he could hardly speak when she arrived—he wanted to apologize for his actions, to explain himself, to tell her exactly what he felt about her.

"Thank you for bringing me to my apartment last night—you… did bring me there, right?" "Actually, I don't remember much. I kind of remember you bringing me home, and then I at least had the presence of mind to offer you a drink, and then… I'm not sure what may or may not have happened." "Can I ask you to tell me… what happened last night?" Her words halted his plans. She didn't remember. Not his forceful approach, not the way he pushed her away… and not her response to his kiss, not the way she stripped off his shirts. More accurately, she almost did and she wished she didn't.

Disappointment, relief, shame, worry, disbelief, confusion… all muddled in his chest. He wanted to keep her in the dark about how he had disrespected her, but his instincts howled at him to inform her about her rather encouraging reaction to his forwardness. Unable to meet her gaze, he looked down at his cup of hot chocolate and bit his lip, torn between his conflicting impulses.

He was horrified when she burst into tears and immediately tried to offer her some form of relief—he fetched some napkins to wipe her face with and inquired about the source of her distress. When she mentioned Raj, he realized it. "You're concerned that, while the two of us were alone in your apartment, you might've behaved in a manner that violates the order of your relationship with Raj."

He should've expected that. Amy was more empathic than he was, and just generally more willing to care about other people. In another world, she was always considerate of her boyfriend, Sheldon Cooper, who assumed that as his right and never consciously bothered to give back. In this world, she was just as considerate of her boyfriend, Rajesh Koothrapali, who treated her as she deserved, and the prospect of hurting him pained her kind heart.

He choked down a sigh. He was certain that other Sheldon Cooper admired her thoughtful nature as much as he did… even if it wasn't for his benefit. And he wasn't sure about how that other Sheldon Cooper felt, but he desperately wanted to make it so she won't cry anymore.

She asked him to tell her what happened, so he told her about how he helped her home, the car ride (leaving out the details), and how he stayed for Yoohoo. He stopped, hoping she won't press him for more.

But she did. "Then? What else did I do?"

"What else did you do?" His train of thought raced: to do is to act, and Amy didn't act, she simply reacted, and he was the one who acted, by kissing her. "After we talked, that was it."

"That was what? What did I do?" she asked.

It was technically the truth, so he affirmed: "You. You did nothing."

She was confused. "But… I was so drunk… and my clothes, the buttons… I was in my room… and my pajamas—" "So, I went into my room and changed before going to bed."

Even though that wasn't what happened, it would've been a reasonable guess for her to make. "Possibly," he murmured.

"And my oven clock—"

"That was me," he admitted. "Once… you were in your room, I put away the glasses in the kitchen and noticed the time on your oven. It was driving me crazy so I changed it. I left afterwards." That was the truth. Not all of it, but the truth nonetheless.

She came to the conclusion that nothing had happened. Much to his alarm, she started crying again. She half-sobbed and half-laughed: "It's just… I shouldn't even have any doubts. After I had argued with him too… I'm a horrible girlfriend."

"No. You're not." he said firmly. That was definitely the truth, he knew better than anyone else in this world.

"What are saying?"

He thought about that other world, with an Amy as remarkable as the one he knew and a Sheldon Cooper who didn't even realize he that never did right by her. For the first time that day, he said one truth that he believed in with all his heart: "You're not a horrible girlfriend. You're an excellent girlfriend. And a wonderful woman." He swallowed the lump in his throat. She was wonderful. He could've had her. In another world, Sheldon Cooper had her. He must've known how wonderful she was... but did he ever tell her?

_It doesn't matter what I did in another world. Right here, right now, I'm telling her anyway._

She hugged him. "Thank you." He couldn't think of a response, her warmth and her fragrance put him in a daze. He lifted his arms to hold her, but before he could embrace her, she pulled away, apologizing. She thanked him for everything, gave him that dazzling smile, then turned to leave.

Probably, to go back to Raj…

"Wait, Amy!"

She turned back to him. "Yes?"

He could tell her what really happened, confirmed that he was right about their attraction to each other, prove that she was meant for him. But then… Amy would cry, she'd think she was a horrible girlfriend, she'd feel guilty about betraying Raj... Raj. They definitely wouldn't be friends anymore.

But he'd have Amy, wouldn't he? Whether she wanted it or not…

"You left your hot chocolate." he said.

"Oh." She took the cup. "You're right. I should take that. By the way, Sheldon?" She tapped the spectacles she was wearing. "Did you see the glasses I wore last night? I must've misplaced them."

"I did last night." And he did this morning, when he pulled them out of his jacket. They were sitting in the shelf where he kept his rare comic books. He didn't tell her so, since she didn't ask him if he had them. She left without asking.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed there after she was gone. But when Leonard called asking where he was, it was already dark.

* * *

><p>He entered Apartment 4A to Leonard arranging takeout boxes on the coffee table. "Hey buddy, are you alright? I haven't seen you since last night…"<p>

"I'm sorry," he said. "I needed to go to work earlier than usual so I took a cab."

"You're what? And you did what?" Leonard shook his head. "Anyway, Raj and Howard are about to come for Chinese and anime night so just get in your spot and wait."

"I'm not hungry. I think I'll turn in early tonight." Ignoring his best friend's questions, Sheldon headed for his room. He only bothered with changing into his pajamas before collapsing in bed, curling to one side instead of his usual straight sleeping position.

* * *

><p><em>He never should have held her hand.<em>

_He wished he could say it was done on impulse, but the entire time they were waiting for Howard to take-off to space, he had been squirming in his seat, his frayed nerves buzzing and every muscle in his body twitching. His instinct told him that holding her hand would put him at ease. He fidgeting grew worse as he bided for an opportunity to do it while keeping to the Relationship Agreement, until he just couldn't endure it any longer and enveloped her hand in his._

_There was a jolt of electricity from their joined hands, but akin to the spark he felt on that day he first saw her in the coffee shop, it was a strangely pleasant sensation that warmed him all over and chased away his apprehensions. He breathed deeply and relaxed. For several long moments, he felt her gaping at him, but he kept his eyes straight ahead. Finally, she turned back to the TV and didn't push him about the incident._

_But that wasn't the end of it._

_From that day on, everything was different. Their date nights occurred more frequently, they sought each other's company more spontaneously, she was permanently seated in the spot next to his...__ While he was forced to admit that their relationship was in a constant state of change, this would be another major shift_— _like that time he asked her to be his girlfriend._

_He started making excuses to not spend time with her alone._

_Unfortunately, he could only avoid her for so long, and about a week later, their entire social group, sans Howard, was together for pizza in the living room of apartment 4A. When he went to the kitchen to grab a Diet Coke, she followed him._

_"Sheldon, I know you're avoiding me."_

_He bit his lip. "In that case, denial would be useless."_

_She sighed. "Come now, you know as well as I do that we need to talk about what happened during the rocket launch and what has been happening since then." When he remained silent, she continued, "You broke the Relationship Agreement and held my hand outside of the pre-approved circumstances. Things have been different since that happened. What have you got to say about that?"_

_"Very well. I want to reset our relationship to the point before the incident and for us to operate under the premise that it never happened."_

_"No."_

_"No?!" he cocked an eyebrow._

_"I enjoyed it," she said. "I had hoped that moment would open more doors for us, and it has. We can make some formal changes to the Relationship Agreement and embrace this new level of closeness."_

_"Unacceptable," he declared._

_She flinched as if she had been slapped, but she calmly asked: "Didn't that make you the least bit happy?"_

_Happy was an understatement. The euphoria from the contact had lasted for hours… and even days later, he had found himself recalling it at random moments and tingling with pleasure._

_It was frightening how she had such an effect on him. If a simple touch of her hands could do that to him, how about everything else? After she had kissed him while she was drunk, he needed to pretend that it hadn't even happened for him to stop thinking about all those fascinating feelings… "I just want to go back to how things were before that happened."_

_"We can't do that," she reasoned."We attempted to forget the time I had kissed you, but considering our current relationship status, neither of us has truly forgotten that. We can't take that incident back anymore than we can take back the time that I kissed you, or the two of us becoming a couple, or the two of us becoming friends. Our current relationship status is the inevitable outcome of events that began from the moment we had met."_

_"And that's the problem," he retorted."If I had never met you, I wouldn't be in this position in the first place."_

_Her face fell and he instantly regretted his words, but his pride blocked the apology in his throat. She spun on her heels, snatched her bag from her spot in the couch, and left without saying goodbye. Awkward silence descended: Penny and Bernadette glared at him while Leonard and Raj exchanged glances._

Go, follow her._ Before his legs could spring into action, the women had blocked his path. "What's going on, Sheldon?" Penny demanded._

_"Nothing." He busied himself pouring his Coke into a glass._

_"We know Amy was going to talk to you about what's been happening since you held her hand," Bernadette said. "What did you tell her?"_

_"I told her to put the incident out of her mind and act like it never occurred. Because of her, so many things have changed in my life that it's making my head spin. It's all her fault."_

_"What?" Penny was nearly shrieking. "Why would you even say something like that?!"_

_"Because it's true," he insisted, folding his arms belligerently. "Everything's changed because of this relationship. I wish I hadn't met her on that blind date, then everything would be so much simpler."_

_The blonde's nostrils flared and her face scrunched up, cueing him to recoil from her shaking man-hands, but he didn't notice the other blonde had already pulled back her tiny fist_… _Bernadette punched him right under his chin. His world exploded in pain; he staggered backwards and as he collapsed, he heard the women yell_—

_"Maybe you shouldn't have!"_

* * *

><p>The Girl with the Red Straw Hat was standing right in front of him. Her face was shadowed by the wide brim, but he could see her pearly smile. "You're angry."<p>

"You took the day I met Amy. Of all the things you could've done, that was the worst."

"That was your wish—"

"You know I didn't mean that!" he roared.

She sniffed. "And that's why they say, be careful what you wish for. Besides…"

"Besides, what?"

"This isn't the worst, Sheldon Cooper. It _could_ be worse." she said. "You could be the Sheldon Cooper who had Amy, then made the decision to leave her in pursuit of a Nobel prize, only to come back with that trophy, feeling emptier than ever and full of regrets… and seeing that she has spent the last many years laboring all alone to raise their children that he never knew. Or the Sheldon Cooper who wakes up one day to find out that she has met an accident and her odds for survival are abysmal… and realizes that keeping his borders and routine were unimportant, and that he wants to touch her, to hold her, to love her, but it's already too late."

He blinked his stinging eyes, devastated by the desire to make everything right for those Amy Farrah Fowlers...

The Girl shrugged. "Or it could be better. You could be the Sheldon Cooper who entered into the Relationship Agreement with her and stayed with her, able to keep her behind his barriers, at a safe distance from her cold hands and trembling lips. Or the Sheldon Cooper who dumped her to focus on his work, made his breakthrough and came back to find her waiting patiently, her whole life on hold for him."

He frowned. " That... doesn't sound much better."

"Oh!" she giggled. "I meant better for _you_, obviously."

He played all the scenarios she had mentioned in his head and shivered. "Is there no Amy Farrah Fowler who'll live happily with Sheldon Cooper, and be loved and cared for as she deserves?"

"Do you honestly believe there's a Sheldon Cooper out there who can put aside his selfishness and fears and pride for his Amy Farrah Fowler?"

The question knocked the wind out of him. "I-I-I—"

She smirked.

* * *

><p>He was hot all over. His bed felt lumpy and the sheets felt scratchy. He wanted to stand up, but his limbs were leaden; he wanted to call for assistance, but his throat was parched. His heavy eyes were watery and he had to squint to see. He closed his eyes, trying to find some relief for his pounding headache.<p>

When he opened them again, it was to a dream.

She was straddling his hips and looking down at him with a teasing smile in her green eyes. As she leaned down, her hair cascaded off one shoulder, falling against his pillow, a mere inch from his cheek. He squirmed, desperately wanting to feel those glossy strands against his skin and to know if they were as soft and silky as they seemed. But when he turned his face towards the sheet of her hair, she drew back.

"Don't." he rasped.

She bent forward again. "What do you want, Sheldon?" she purred. He could almost feel her lips grazing his own, and he ached to kiss her again, but instinct told him not to touch her unless told to… lest she leave. "Do you want me to stay, to talk to you, to hold you? What do you want?" She lifted her hips higher when he groaned and attempted to buck against her.

"You," he whispered. "I want you. You're everything I knew I wanted and so many things I didn't even know I did. I want you, everything about you, and everything I can possibly have with you."

The coquettish glint in her eyes remained, albeit muted, by a tinge of melancholy... the visible effort it took her to smile broke his heart. "Who's to say this isn't how things should be? In another world, you could've had me in every way you wished. But even in another world, you didn't."

"Give me another chance. Please."

"It's not mine to give. It was already yours, but you lost it."

He flung his arms around her but missed when she pushed away from him— she was gone and he was left grasping at empty air.

"Amy…"

**Author's Notes:** I was starting to feel like I was making Sheldon suffer too much, then I saw the promo for S6E1 and changed my mind. Then the sneak peek of the episode actually gave me Ramy feels. Ohhhh myyyy.

In other news, part of why this chapter was delayed because I've taken to filling Shamy prompts for the kink meme. I probably would never post them here, since they're too… well, kinky, for FFnet standards. But if anyone's interested, I might post them in AO3 when I'm done. Or maybe just put the links to the prompts in my profile. Or maybe none at all, since the kink would forever change people's perceptions of me, hahah.

Thanks to xela30991 for the read-through. :D


	16. Code Milky Green

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XVI. Code Milky Green**

"I'm sorry!" Penny put her hands together and gave them a heart-melting puppy-dog look.

Amy was quick to assure her: "It's ok—"

"No!" Bernadette shrilled. "It's SO not okay!"

Amy pushed her glasses up her nose and turned to her fellow biologist, using her most calming tone that never failed to relax the lab monkeys. "Bernadette, we both know that substance dependence is a tricky issue. Penny may try her hardest but there's bound to be a relapse every now and then—"

"She can't afford to do that!" the unexpectedly feisty little blonde bellowed. "If it weren't for you and Sheldon, she could've died the last time, now barely two weeks after that, she goes and gets drunk again! What if I hadn't caught her? What if she decides to go drinking when none of us are there? Then what?!"

Penny cringed. Amy sighed, wanting to tell Bernadette to back off, but knowing that she was right. "Why did you do that anyway, Penny? You promised you wouldn't consume alcohol anymore."

Penny stood up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. "I know, I'm sorry… it's just that…" She retrieved a pint of vanilla ice cream and returned to the living; she dumped a huge scoopful in her glass of Coke. "It's Leonard. Anyone want one in theirs?"

"Sure," Bernadette slid her glass forward, while Amy held hers back, remembering what Raj said about liquid calories. "What about Leonard? What did he do?"

"Nothing," Penny said, putting ice cream in Bernadette's glass. "That's the problem."

Amy took a sip of her boring plain Coke and looked at the beautiful blonde questioningly. "Explain."

"You know, back when I had alcohol poisoning, he almost never left my side. He took care of me, everything, he even enrolled me in that support group. I thought, that meant…" she buried her face in her hands. "I'm so stupid."

"Oh Penny," Bernadette sighed.

"What is it?" Amy asked. She had an inkling, but she wasn't sure: she hadn't had a lot of experience with romantic relationships after all.

"I thought it meant that afterwards, we'd be together again," Penny continued. "But when I checked out, it was back to how we were before."

"I have a question," Amy said. Penny nodded. "Did you drink alcohol in the hopes to replicate those moments of closeness with Leonard when he sees you in trouble once again?"

"No, no," Penny protested, "no, no… not on purpose." Bernadette glared at her and she hung her head. "I know, I'm so stupid."

"No," Bernadette said. "At least, it's not the only thing."

"I can't help it," Penny whined. "I'll always have feelings for Leonard."

The smaller blonde shook her head. "I don't think it's like that."

"Yeah. It's not like that."

"Having faced up to your feelings for Leonard, I hope this means you won't continue using alcohol as a distraction or a crutch," Amy said.

"I won't," Penny nodded, slamming a fist into an open palm.

Bernadette gave her a sidelong glance. "So you're going to get rid of the drinks stashed where your cleaning supplies should be?"

Penny's jaw dropped. "Well that… how did you know?"

"You always have a bottle of peppermint schnapps, but when we cleaned out your alcohol supply, I didn't see one," Bernadette said. "And it doesn't take a genius to figure out this apartment doesn't have cleaning supplies."

"Hey!" Penny cried.

"Amy, why don't you check the other shelves?" Bernadette suggested. "Penny and I will take those bottles away."

Penny snapped her fingers. "Ooh, you know who we should give them to? Those college boys at the second floor..."

As the two blondes hauled away the remaining bottles of alcoholic beverages from under the sink, Amy checked the other cabinets for stragglers. She was crouched on the floor, checking one of the cabinets under the counter, when someone knocked on the door and jogged in. "Penny, it's Code Milky Green!"

Amy straightened up: "Hello, Leonard."

"Hey, Amy." He was startled, but more than that, his eyes were darting anxiously behind his glasses and his hair was disheveled. "Where's Penny?"

"She and Bernadette did a clean-up," she said evasively, not sure if it was a good idea for him to find out about Penny's recent relapse. "They'll be back soon. Is something wrong?"

He nudged his glasses up his nose, but ended up skewing them even more. "It's Sheldon."

"What about him?" she automatically asked.

"He's sick, I mean, this time, he's really sick, he's had a fever for two days and he hasn't even asked for anything and he barely lets me take soup and water in his room and of course he doesn't want to go to the hospital," he said in a rush. He ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Penny usually helps out when he's sick… sings 'Soft Kitty' to him, things like that…"

_Do you want me to check on him?_ she was supposed to ask, but it came out as: "Let me check on him!"

Leonard was visibly taken aback by the vehemence in her tone, but he nodded and led her to the opposite apartment and to Sheldon's room. He knocked and announced: "I'm coming in! And I brought a visitor."

"Is it Penny?" Came the rasping voice from under the covers on the bed. It sounded hopeful… Amy found herself a little disappointed.

"No buddy, it's Amy."

"Amy Farrah Fowler?!" Sheldon threw off the covers and gaped at them, his watery eyes as round as saucers.

"Yeah…" Leonard looked from her, to the patient. "I'm going to make you more chicken noodle soup." He left the room.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "You can't be in my room. No one can be in my room. "

What a far cry from the rather sweet man she had talked to the other day, but she supposed he was feeling terrible. She approached the bed as he beat his pillows into a pile and leaned back on them. "Can I sit ?" She motioned at the edge of the bed.

"No."

"Then I'll stand." She was a bit surprised by how much he appeared to resent her presence. She laid a hand on his forehead; he jerked away.

"Don't touch me!"

"I'm not touching you—well, okay, so I am, but it's only to determine how high your fever is."

"That's what thermometers are for," he grumbled, but settled back on the pillows. He shivered a little and closed his eyes when her palm touched his forehead. He was at about 103 degrees F. She maintained the contact for several heartbeats, wishing she could somehow soothe that heat with her cooler hand. When she pulled away, he grabbed the packet of antibacterial wipes from his bedside table. She stifled a sigh, reminding herself not to take offense, but he waved it at her. She took one and he replaced the packet on the table.

"You sound like you have a cold too," she said. "I hope you've been taking in a lot of fluids."

"Of course." He tilted his head at the water bottles lined up on the table.

"How can I help you?" she asked. "Would you like some soup?"

"Leonard's already making me soup," he pointed out.

"Well…" she hesitated. "What about if I sang 'Soft Kitty' for you?"

He scowled. "You can't sing 'Soft Kitty for me."

She met him with a frown. "Why not?"

"You're not my mother," he retorted.

"Penny's not your mother, and she sings that song for you," she retorted, feeling injured. She should've known that even somebody like Sheldon would prefer a golden-haired goddess with a perfectly-formed body and universal appeal—

He looked straight at her and said, deliberately: "I don't want you to act like my mother. Not you."

Her breathing steepened at the intensity of his piercing stare and she had to take a moment to compose herself. "I… I just want to help you."

"No need for that."

"Sheldon." Despite his earlier refusal, she sat on the edge of his bed. "You took care of me when I was drunk, I can't just stand by and do nothing now that you're sick." Although, she would feel the same way, regardless of the previous event occurring, but she didn't need to tell him that. "Additionally, I can't help but feel that I contributed to your current condition. You had to stay up late, use public transportation several times, and you even exerted yourself physically while bringing me to my apartment."

"I assure you, it's not your fault. Besides, how physically weak do you think I am? Among the four males in our social group, I have the greatest physical prowess, however insignificant that might be when compared to the general population. My illness definitely has nothing to do with that night." His gaze flicked however which way, making her think he was somewhat lying. She raised an eyebrow at him. He ducked under the covers.

"But I want to help you."

"You don't have to."

"I know, but I want to."

After a while, she heard his muffled voice say: "… I don't want you to get sick on my account."

Her heart skipped a beat and she instinctively placed her hand on her chest. "… And I don't like seeing you sick." He slowly pulled down the covers, peering over them, his blue eyes so vulnerable she ached to hold him close. But she can't do that. "Sheldon, there must be something I can do for you."

He licked his lips. "If-If you insist…" He pointed at one of the shelves lined up the wall. "I have a medicine kit there." She retrieved it and handed it to him. He pulled out a small jar and held it out. "I… like having this rubbed on my chest."

Amy blinked rapidly: when she snatched the jar of Vaporub, her arm moved slowly and heavily, as if she was underwater. She might as well be, for all the oxygen that she was able to inhale. Sheldon was gasping, apparently in the same state—perhaps she should open a window?

He folded the blankets off his upper body and raised the hem of his plaid pajama top, up to his neck, fully exposing his chest. His skin was pale and smooth, almost waxy, with a light smattering of hair. She rubbed a dollop of the mentholated cream on her hands and started spreading it. His chest was firmer than one might expect... she trailed slower along the little hairs that tickled the pads of her fingers and pressed a tad harder at the dips on his flesh.

He shuddered. She bit her lip. "Are you somehow in pain?"

She was relieved when he shook his head and said: "Don't stop." She continued rubbing his chest in comforting circles. He was sufficiently covered in Vaporub by then, but she didn't want to stop, and she didn't intend to, until he told her to do so.

"Hey Sheld—" Penny froze at the door, her mouth slightly agape. "Uh, hey, Amy."

"Hi, Penny." She started to raise her hands off Sheldon's chest, but he grabbed her by the wrists and kept her hands in place.

"Penny, can you sing 'Soft Kitty?'" he asked.

"Of course, sweetie." Penny walked round to the other side of the bed and sat there. "Do you want me to put Vaporub too..?" She eyed Sheldon's hands locked around Amy's wrists. "I guess not," she murmured under her breath.

Sheldon looked at Amy expectantly before releasing her wrists. When she resumed her ministrations, he closed his eyes.

Penny sang softly. "Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur… Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr."

With the song finished, Sheldon opened his eyes again. "Thank you, Penny." He turned back to Amy; she had stopped moving her hands, but she still laid them on his chest.

"So Ames, why don't we…" Penny glanced from her to Sheldon and back again. "I mean, I'll go ahead. Get well soon, Moonpie." She patted Sheldon's shoulder and walked out the room.

"Nobody calls me Moonpie except Meemaw," he murmured, but didn't break eye contact with Amy.

"Sheldon," she began regretfully and reached to pull down his pajama top. "You're sick, so you should probably—"

"No." He snatched her wrists so forcibly that she fell forward, her palms braced against his still-bare chest and their noses touching.

"I don't want you to get cold," she whispered.

"I'm not," he whispered back. He licked his lips; they were so close that his tongue almost touched her lips. With a trembling hand, he stroked the length of her hair that fell off her shoulder and against his cheek. "It really is soft and silky..." He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "You're really here."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he ran his fingers through her hair. "Illness makes it difficult to distinguish between dream and reality."

Moments passed. Amy didn't know what to say, but words didn't feel necessary, the silence wasn't oppressive, in fact it was almost… magical…

"Hey Sheldon, I've got your soup… oh, OHH—so-sorry, carry on, um, you two."

Amy jumped back and off the bed, facing a stammering and befuddled Leonard. He fled, struggling with a tray holding a large bowl of soup, and Amy dashed after him.

"Leonard!" she called. He froze halfway between the living room and the kitchen. She slipped around to face him.

"I didn't see anything!" he cried. "I don't know what you're doing and whatever it is, that's cool, that's—"

She planted her hands on her hips."We weren't doing anything."

"Of course not," he nodded. "Nothing at all. I don't know what the two of you do when you're together, but it's nothing."

She rolled her eyes. "Look, it's true Sheldon took me home the other night, nothing happened."

"Sheldon took you home the other night?" he repeated. "What happened?"

_He didn't know? _She gaped, horrified. "Nothing happened!"

"Okay, okay!" he squeaked, clutching the tray close to his chest and nearly upsetting the bowl of soup.

"What's happening?" Penny entered the apartment, holding a bottle of mineral water in each hand.

"Nothing!" Amy exclaimed.

"Yeah, nothing!" Leonard denied hurriedly. "Sheldon took her home the other night, when I didn't see him and we didn't go to the university together the next day, but nothing happened."

Penny's eyes bulged and her jaw dropped. "Sheldon took you home the other night? You mean when we—you, were drunk?"

"You were drunk? And Sheldon took you home?!" he echoed, gawking at Amy.

"What happened?" Penny bounced on her feet.

Amy clutched her hair, throwing it over her shoulder in a huff. "NOTHING HAPPENED!"

Leonard and Penny exchanged glances. "Nothing…?"

Amy slumped, deflated. "I'm… going home now. Goodbye." She trudged out of Apartment 4A and closed the door behind her. Bernadette was standing at the doorway of 4B, squinting at her. "Nothing happened!" she insisted again, before going down the stairs.

**Author's Notes**: A friendly reminder that I like reviews. If I've never replied to your review, it's because I've noticed that when I reply, many of those readers never come back. (Or they just don't review anymore. How am I supposed to know?) It doesn't mean that I don't like your review. As it is, I only reply to non-rhetorical questions. Or if the reviewer has already randomly chatted with me before. But if you've done neither, I still appreciate your review. I just didn't reply to your review because you might go away and never come back if I do so. But I like reviews.

Thanks to xela30991 for the read-through.


	17. The jig is up

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XVII. The jig is up  
><strong>

"I look like the Flash about to get married," Sheldon observed, looking his tuxedoed reflection over in the full-length mirror and adjusting the unbuttoned shirt collar over his red long johns. An image of Amy popped in his mind—_a diamond tiara would become that white dress she's wearing..._ He jolted out of his reverie when someone tapped his shoulder. It was Leonard, who had already changed out of his suit.

"Hey Sheldon, I've got, uh, a question..." his roommate peered closer at him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes..." he nodded impatiently. "Now what is it?"

"Uhh..." the shorter man glanced around. "Sheldon… what happened with you and Amy?"

He felt the blood drain from his face. "I don't know what you're talking about." He walked back to one of the dressing rooms of the tuxedo store, ignoring Leonard trailing at his heels.

Through the door, he heard Leonard. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You were with her after their girls' night. She was drunk. You took her home. I know, she told me. What happened?"

He quickly stripped off the tuxedo and his long underwear, and replaced his clothes. "Whatever it is, that's none of your business."

"Sheldon." Leonard blocked his way when he exited the dressing room. "Hey, I want to help you."

He bit his lip. "You can't help me. You'll only side with Raj."

Leonard inhaled sharply. "So you really… Sheldon, what happened between you and Amy?"

"Something happened between Sheldon and Amy?!" Howard barged in the room, puffing angrily. "What?"

"Did I say something happened between Sheldon and Amy? I didn't say that." Leonard said, heading for the door. Sheldon instinctively followed him. "Umm, so, we fitted the tuxes and everything's in order, we're good to go for the wedding, so Sheldon and I should be going back home—"

"No," Howard hissed fiercely, following them to the front hall of the shop. "Something's up, and you're going to tell me what it is. No, actually, you're going to stop. I won't let you ruin this for Raj or to mess anything up, I'm about to get married and I can't have Sheldon sniffing around the maid of honor, she's the girlfriend of my best man, do you understand me?"

The three of them halted when Raj stepped out from one of the other side rooms, swirling a glass of wine. "You're talking about my girlfriend and him." Leonard and Howard scratched their heads nervously. Sheldon looked directly at Raj.

"Raj," Howard squeaked. "I was just, just…"

"We were just asking what happened the other night when he took Amy home," Leonard interjected.

"Zip it!" Howard shushed. Leonard clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Why would you take Amy home?" Raj asked Sheldon.

"It was for her own safety," he answered. "She was inebriated."

"Y-You… you…" Raj set the wine glass down a side table. "While she was drunk…"

"Relax Raj, we don't know what happened yet," Leonard piped.

"What _happened_?" Raj repeated.

"Great going," Howard grumbled.

"What do you mean something happened between him and Amy?!" Raj cried.

There was a few moments of silence. Before anyone could say anything, Bernadette waltzed in with her bridesmaids, cooing: "Hi boys, how's fitting going?"

"What happened?" Raj demanded at the three ladies.

Bernadette and Penny automatically turned to Amy, who gazed around the room with wide, almost beseeching eyes. "Huh?"

"Oh honey, you know what he means," Penny murmured. Amy seemed scared. Sheldon wanted to hold her hand and take her away, but he was rooted to the spot.

Raj crossed the room and clutched Amy's arm. "Did Sheldon take you home the other night? And you were drunk?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"What happened? What do you remember?" Raj asked.

"I… don't remember much," she admitted. "But he brought me to my apartment, that's all. Nothing happened, Sheldon already told me."

"Did he tell you in those exact words? _Nothing happened_?"

"W-Well…" She glanced from Raj to Sheldon. "Not really but—"

Raj whipped around, his normally gentle eyes a cold black. "Tell me nothing happened, Sheldon."

He gulped. "If you wanted to hear me say nothing happened then I—"

"No," the other man said deliberately. Having worked for him, Raj knew him too well. "I'm asking you, did nothing happen?"

His heart hammered in his chest and his ragged breaths came in shallow and rapid spurts as he willed himself to calm down. "By nothing… what exactly do you mean by nothing?"

"No!" Raj yelled.

"Sheldon…?" Amy tilted her head, confused… he expected to see the hurt of betrayal in her eyes, but strangely, there was mostly the spark of curiosity…

"I knew it!" Penny snapped her fingers. "_Something_ did happen."

Bernadette turned to her. "What?"

Penny met Leonard's eyes; they both looked down guiltily.

"What?" Howard turned to him.

"What did you do to her?!" Raj roared, stomping towards Sheldon, pointing accusingly. "If you laid one finger on her while she was drunk, I'll—"

"Hey, come on Raj," Leonard stepped between them, catching Raj's hand before he could poke Sheldon's chest. "Sheldon's your friend. And Amy was drunk, she doesn't even remember anything. For all we know… um…" He pushed up his glasses, stole glances at Sheldon and Amy, and looked at his feet, pushing up his glasses again.

Raj frowned. "What are you implying?"

"Huh? Implying, uh… I wasn't implying anything…" but he looked again at Penny, who bounced on her toes like a cartoon jack-in-a-box about to pop.

"Come on Raj, alcohol can make a girl feel, hmm… at ease, with a guy who's not her boyfriend," she said.

"Yeah, you two would know that," Howard muttered. Everyone glared at him. He hid behind a tuxedoed mannequin.

"Look, all I'm saying is that when you've had some, you sometimes want to get close to people…" her voice dropped to a low mutter. "Not that they have any problems being close at other times…"

"No, it's not like that!" Raj shot back. "She's my girlfriend, and we're going get married, I was already going to ask her."

_Married?!_ Sheldon clutched his heart, sure that his heart had stopped. _Amy is…_ He sought her with his eyes; she was gaping at Raj and Penny.

"Excuse me?" she called. Everyone turned to her. "I'm right here."

"Sorry sweetie," Penny said.

"Sorry darling," Raj said at the same time.

Sheldon finally found his voice and shouted over the both of them: "You're going to be _married_?! You can't!"

"Why not?" Raj retorted. "She's my girlfriend."

"She is not for you!" Sheldon growled.

"And whom is she for then? You?"

"By any standard, we are much more similar—"

"You blew her off on your blind date, Sheldon! Why are you doing this now?"

"Because, you are not compatible—"

Raj shook his head. "This is like that time I told you about the astrophysics seminar you were invited to. You said it was a waste of your time and told me to go instead. I made all the preparations and then when you heard me talking to Leonard and Howard about the line-up, you told me you had changed your mind, and you forced me to give up the trip to you. Well, this time it's a girl and you can't bully me into giving up this one!"

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Amy cried.

"Stay out of this!" They yelled at the same time.

She straightened her stance and said: "Maybe I should." She whirled on her feet and ran out of the shop.

"Amy!" Sheldon gasped.

"No, wait!" Raj called.

They ran after her, stopped, and glared at each other. "You stay here!" Raj yelled.

"No, you stay here!" Sheldon yelled back.

Raj sprinted off. Sheldon started after him, but somebody caught his elbow. He looked down. It was Bernadette.

"You can't," she scolded. "She's Raj's girlfriend, you can't interfere—" suddenly, her tiny hand was snatched away, freeing him.

Bernadette frowned at Penny, who held her by the wrist. "Penny! What are you doing?"

Penny pursed her lips, fidgeting guiltily. "We... don't have the right to stop him. Besides..."

"Besides, what?"

"I don't think it's just Sheldon who likes being with Amy, there's also the other way around..."

Bernadette squared her shoulders, as if about to explode into a rant, then she shook her head. "I can't do this, Howard."

Her fiancé patted her back comfortingly. "I know, I know, let's go back some other time—"

She threw her hands down. "No Howard, I mean _this_."

He gaped. "… What?"

"I…" she refused to face him and kept her head turned towards the door where Amy had left. "I wonder if we had rushed into things, if we made the right decision."

"Rushed into things?" His voice rose, becoming shrill. "You rejected me before, but you changed your mind, you said you think this was real—"

"And I did!" she insisted. "But now, I'm…" her gaze darted towards Sheldon.

Howard followed her eyes and when he saw Sheldon, his face contorted. "You! This is because of you, you couldn't let go of somebody else's woman—your own friend's woman." He stalked towards Sheldon, who took a step back.

Leonard moved between them. "Wait, Howard—"

"Stop defending him," Howard snapped.

"I will when you all stop blaming him for everything," Leonard said. "It's not fair."

"Fair? He has always been unfair, selfish, only thinks about himself, and you—you're so used to it already that you're always letting him have his way." Howard muttered through gritted teeth. "I don't care if he's your best friend, Raj is my best friend, and I can't lose Bernadette because Sheldon's trying to pull this superiority crap on him." He scowled at Sheldon again. "What are you going to do about this, huh?"

Howard, Bernadette, Penny, and Leonard… he looked at each of them in turn. "I don't know," he confessed. "I… have to go." He hurried out of the shop.

_I have to go find Amy._

* * *

><p>When Sheldon reached Amy's apartment, Raj was already standing outside the door.<p>

"What are you doing here?" Raj sniped.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he sniped back.

"I should be the one here," Raj declared. "I'm her boyfriend!"

"And I'm… a free citizen of the United States of America," he said loftily. "I'm exercising my right to converse with yet another free citizen."

"She doesn't want to talk to you!"

"Well…" he faltered. "Considering that she didn't leave with you, it's doubtful that she wishes to talk to you either!"

The door burst open; Amy stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. "You should both go."

"But, Amy—" they both started.

"Raj…" she clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "I already told you… you can't just say we're going to take such a big step without discussing it with me first." Raj slouched dejectedly. She shifted to Sheldon. "And… did you really lie to me?" He dropped his gaze to his feet.

The whirr of the door swinging shut roused the two men and they both pressed a hand against it. "Wait, Amy!" Raj said. "We need to talk."

"I'll talk to you later." She tried to push the door shut but they held it firm.

"No, it has to be now," Raj persisted. She glanced at Sheldon. He bit his lip. Raj huffed. "Whatever it is, you can say it in front of him."

She sighed, closing her eyes. "Raj... I need some space."

He wheezed as if he had been punched. "What? You're breaking up with me? Because of _him_?!" He jabbed a finger towards Sheldon, who jerked away.

"No… I just need some time to myself—"

"That's what they always say!" he cried. "But what it means is 'it's over, I'm breaking up with you!'"

She didn't say anything. He staggered back, leaning against the hallway wall.

To Sheldon, she whispered: "Please." Unwillingly, he removed his hand from the door, and she shut it.

He heard shuffling behind him. It was Raj, staring blankly ahead. He moved past Sheldon, unseeing, down the corridor. When he was gone, Sheldon stared at her door for an indeterminate period of time, not wanting to leave.

"Sheldon!" Leonard was with Penny; they were jogging towards him.

"How did you know I'd be here?" he asked.

"Come on Moonpie, you tried to claim Amy for yourself." Penny rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd be here, you're not the type of person to just let that sort of thing go."

"You shouldn't be here." Leonard put a hand on his arm. "We saw Raj on the way… and, she's _his girlfriend_…"

"I knew it." He shook off the hand. "You'd only side with Raj."

"Sheldon!"

Unable to stop himself, he said: "You want things to stay the way they are, you want him to have a girlfriend so he wouldn't approach... other females." His eyes flickered towards Penny. She uneasily transferred her weight from foot to foot.

Leonard had turned bright red. "You know that's not true!" His best friend cried. "If there was any way… that you could have her without _this_ happening…" He shook his head. "I want you to be happy, Sheldon. But Raj and Howard are our friends too."

"Why should Howard even be so concerned about Amy Farrah Fowler?" he muttered.

"Sheldon," Penny began. "Bernadette… she really did call off the wedding."

He blinked. "Why would she do that?"

She shrugged. "You remember when we were out and she said she accepted Howard's proposal because—"

"Because Raj got a good girlfriend." he finished. "You're implying that by pointing out that she should be with me, that this is all my fault."

She winced when Leonard glared at her. "It's not actually your fault, Sheldon." Leonard said. "In the end, it was Bernadette's choice."

"Yeaaaah," Penny nodded. "I'm not saying that it's really your fault, it was just that—" She pressed her lips tightly together when Leonard glared again.

"It was ultimately their business, let's leave it at that. We should go home." He started walking. "Don't beat him up over it, he already had to watch that one special girl be with someone else. That's bad enough. I should know." At his words, Penny jumped. Then she hurried after him.

Before they rounded the corner, Sheldon forced himself to follow with his long strides.

* * *

><p><em>Apartment 314. Sheldon tentatively touched the door and it swung open. The aroma of tomato-based pasta sauce invited him inside. <em>It smells like Mom's recipe...

_Amy stood before the stove, stirring a pot. She scooped a bit on a sauce dish and tasted it. With a satisfied nod, she lifted a cutting board over the pot and put cut-up hotdogs in. He smiled._

_She gave the sauce a good mixing before putting it on a simmer and placing the lid on the pot. She hummed while she grabbed more ingredients and tossed a salad._

_Her Skype ringtone bleared. Carrying the salad bowl, she hurried to answer it, banging her foot against the computer table leg. "Ow!" Her frown disappeared when she saw the screen. "Hello, Sheldon." She sat on her chair, adjusting the laptop to better see the Sheldon on her Skype._

_"Hello, Amy. I'm calling to inform you that I shall not be able to attend tonight's Date Night."_

_Watching from the doorway, Sheldon felt his stomach plummet._ No...

_She clutched the bowl close to her body, hugging it. "I don't understand. it's Date Night."_

_"Yes, but it's also Anything-can-Happen Thursday. And comic book night is happening tonight."_

_He shook his head._ No, no, no, no, no...

_"We haven't seen each other for a while," she reminded him._

_"That's true, however, we must respect the apartment's time table. This is in the spirit of Anything-can-Happen Thursday." At that moment, Sheldon hated the sound of his own voice._

_She gazed at the screen silently for a minute, before asking: "You're avoiding me, aren't you?"_

_"W-w-why would you say that?" Sheldon was sure that the other him was now a mess of facial tics. "That's.. a-absurd. Now, if you'll excuse me..."_

No Amy, don't listen to him—I mean, me—I mean, I…_ He couldn't speak so he stepped forward, but was restrained by the back of his shirt._ What…_ He looked over his shoulder and saw an arm sticking out from under a wide-brimmed red straw hat, ending in a small hand that gripped a fistful of his shirt. Then the Girl's voice said, as if in his mind: "Watch."_

_Amy closed the laptop. After taking several quick breaths, she returned to the kitchen and shoved in the salad bowl. She turned off the stove, grabbed the pot, and dumped the entire thing in her trash bin. He bit his lip._

_Back in the living room, she plopped on the couch and removed her glasses, rubbing her eyes with her balled-up fists. Then she wrapped her arms tightly about herself, like a one-person hug… She did look like she wanted one. _

_"Let... me..." he pleaded. But everything disappeared in a burst of light._

He was in the misty realm of the Girl with the Red Straw Hat again. She released his shirt and he stumbled. "You, I mean, Miss…" he said shakily, "let me go back there."

"That's not your world," she said. "You evaded that fate, the burden of having to worry about her, to consider her feelings. And you don't need to be overwhelmed and be afraid of your feelings for her."

"A burden," he repeated. "It seems like a burden, but it also feels like nature. Even if my feelings for her cause me to fear and want to run away, I can't stop myself from thinking about her."

"Don't you understand? You're no longer bonded to her. You're _free._"

"No, _you_ don't understand," he insisted. "The freedom I want is the freedom to be with her."

She skipped away, her voice in high-pitched sing-song. "Why are you trying so hard? You got what you wished for, Sheldon Cooper. You need not be afraid anymore."

He walked her path, trying not to lose her. "They say fear comes from uncertainty. It's true, now, in this world, I'm not afraid. I'm desperate. I'm certain that I want to be with her. And I'm certain that I'll regret every second that I'm not."

She faced him, lifting her head so he could see her dark eyes; narrowed, hard, unyielding. "And what makes you think you won't end up doing the very same things as the other Sheldon Cooper did?"

"Because I know better now," he reasoned. "Things will be different."

"Yes. Because you won't have the chance to do those things to her."

"I want to be with her. That's what matters most to me."

She tutted in disapproval. "You feel sorry for all the other Amy Farrah Fowlers that all the other Sheldon Coopers ever wronged. But you can't do anything for them. Now your Amy... you can do something for her. By never putting yourself in the position to hurt her. You can stay away."

**Author's Notes:** Too bad about the Emmys, but let's keep our fingers crossed for the next year.

Any guesses about how this story will turn out? Not that I *don't* already know what will happen. I need to gauge the direction though.


	18. Full stop

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XVIII. Full stop**

Amy knocked on the door. "Bernadette?"

She took a step back when a surprisingly rough voice growled: "Go away! I don't want to talk to you."

"You're going to have to come out of there sometime," she reasoned.

"Not before you have to leave, I don't!"

She eyed the door, seriously considering the amount of force she'd have to use to slam it open, then dismissed the idea. Physical strength had never been one of her good points.

"Hey Amy."

Her hand froze before the door, poised to knock again. Penny was walking towards her, grinning awkwardly. "She won't talk to you too, huh?"

"No." She tilted her head, puzzled. "Why would Bernadette refuse to talk to you?"

"Oh that," the blonde shrugged. "She says I should've tipped her off when I noticed something between you and Sheldon."

She flinched. "It's not like there's actually something between us, nothing we have really acted upon that is."

Penny waved her hands in erasing motions. "Scratch that, that's not what I was saying. I mean that thing... with the two of you having a—" she tapped her finger in the air, searching for the right words "—this, kind of _attraction_, to each other. As for any action going on there..." her words hung in the pregnant pause that followed, the two of them exchanging uncertain looks. Amy was sure that Penny was also remembering Sheldon's guilty evasiveness from yesterday. Finally, she added: "You didn't know anything about that, so you're good."

"No, she isn't!" Came a screech from the other side of the door, causing both of them to jump. "She lied about being a good girlfriend to Raj, she could've lied about not doing anything with Sheldon!"

Penny gaped at Amy, looking almost as horrified as she felt, and reproached: "Wait a minute, Bernadette—"

Amy held up a hand to stop her and leaned closer the door. "Bernadette, I don't know what your definition of a 'good girlfriend' is, but I've never made any claims to be one. Although I assure you, I've tried my best." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Even if I can't help how I feel."

"Oh, sweetie." Penny patted her back.

The door flung open and revealed Bernadette: a seething little mass of frizzed curls, gray sweatpants, and red eyes. "Do you want me to feel sorry for you because your boyfriend and his crazy friend are fighting over you and tore everyone apart? And you," she glared at Penny, "I don't want to see you either!" She stomped her bare foot. "You two ruined my wedding!"

"Hey!" Penny cried.

Amy bit back a sob. "With all due respect, it wasn't Penny and I who called off your wedding, you did that on your own."

Her glare turning wild, Bernadette cackled. "Hah! You really think we would've been able to get married in this mess? With our best man going mad because the maid of honor and another groomsman are making sweet eyes and God-knows-what-else behind his back? And no one knows if we can ever trust each other again? How can you do that to Raj, of all people? I thought you were our friend!"

There was only one thing for Amy to say. "I'm sorry."

Penny looked from one woman to another, then grabbed Amy by the arm. "Okay, look, we're all going to talk about this when everyone has cooled down. Okay? Okay? Bernadette, we're going for now. Amy, come on." She dragged Amy down the hallway.

Once they were out the building, Amy gently stepped away from Penny's grasp. "You okay?" the other woman asked.

She nodded though she was anything but. "Yes, I'm alright. I should go to work now." When she whirled around, Penny blocked her path.

"How about I drive you?"

"No, I brought my car." She strained her face into a smile. "Thank you."

"You sure?"

"Yes, don't worry about it." She sidestepped around Penny and headed for her car, blinking rapidly to clear her vision.

* * *

><p>Long after her colleagues had gone, Amy stayed in the laboratory, examining more specimens. The image through the microscope was blurry and she was feeling the beginnings of a headache, but she wanted to keep busy. She didn't want to be alone and idle with her thoughts…<p>

_Knock, knock, knock, _"Amy."

She dismissed it as her imagination but she heard it again.

_Knock, knock, knock, _"Amy."

And again.

_Knock, knock, knock, _"Amy."

She turned to the open door. Sheldon clutched the doorframe and watched her with apprehension. "What are you doing here?"

"Amy." He shifted, but didn't step through the doorway. "I'd like to talk to you."

She ducked over her slides, moving her hands with a pretense of haste and fumbling for an excuse. She wasn't prepared to talk to him. "I'm sorry, now's not a good time. I need to make up time on this project."

"On the contrary, it seems like you've made much progress." He gestured at the timetable tacked on her bulletin board. She cocked her head in wonder, still surprised by his sharp eyesight. He bit his lip. "I… I've always made myself available whenever you wished to talk, so it's only fair that now—"

She sighed. "You're right, my apologies. Please, come in." She shrugged off the labcoat, feeling underdressed in her light button-down top. Sheldon stared at her for several counts before quickly looking away. She hung the coat on the back of her chair and sat on the row of supply crates lined along the far wall. His eye twitched as he scowled at the less than ideal sitting arrangements, but he sat down beside her without complaint.

After a few false starts, opening his mouth and snapping it shut just as fast, he said: "What happened yesterday, in the tuxedo store—I didn't mean for that to happen. Leonard asked me about the events that transpired that night. But Howard and Raj walked into that conversation. And matters got out of hand."

"It's okay," she said, "I don't blame you for what happened."

"However… I don't find myself regretting reaching this point," he clarified. "Somehow, it was a relief to let them know how I feel about you." She peered over her glasses, eyes widened in disbelief. "I, I, I didn't want this chaotic aftermath of course," he stammered. "But I wasn't able to control my emotions as well as I thought I could, and it was becoming difficult for me to hide them. Although, Leonard and Penny informed me that I wasn't doing a very good job in the first place."

She couldn't help smiling at his sheepish pout.

"I like your smile," he said quickly, then a pained frown flashed across his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Everyone says I shouldn't be feeling this way about you." His voice was a low whisper. "If I had gone to meet you that day, there wouldn't have been a problem. It would've been alright for me to let everyone know… to tell you how I feel…

"But I probably wouldn't have, I would've wasted every chance to tell you." He choked out a laugh. "No, more than that, I would've denied it. Isn't it funny—if I had been in the position to act upon how I feel, I would've resisted with all my might. But I'm not, and yet that's the only thing I want to do."

His big blue eyes were so utterly distressed that she raised a hand to pat his cheek before remembering herself and clasping her hands together. Instead, she used her most soothing tone and said: "You don't know that Sheldon, you need to stop overthinking these things."

He shook his head. "You asked me once if, in the other world where we met that day, you were happy with me. The truth is I don't know… and part of me thinks that the answer might be 'no.'"

She started. "Why?"

The frown deepened to an anguished grimace. "Precisely because I would've been so afraid of my feelings for you to even let you know about them. And I would've treated you the only way I'd know how. And I wouldn't have been a very good boyfriend. I would've let you down a lot."

"Hmm… I'm sure I would've been fine," she mused aloud.

His face smoothed and he gazed at her with that innocent and clueless expression of his.

"It would've been your first relationship," she assured him. "And mine too. I wouldn't expect you to know how to do everything, or anything really. But I would've been happy with you anyway."

"You think so?"

"Yes. I enjoy doing things with you, talking to you, and being in your company. And isn't that what's most important?"

Sheldon put a hand over his face. For a moment, she wondered if he was crying.

Suddenly, he spoke: "I saw, in that other world, I was afraid to even touch you. When I held your hand there was a spark… it was so warm and pleasurable and powerful. It told me that I'd do whatever it takes, rearrange my entire world, to keep you by my side. And if a simple hand hold could do that, then what would more do?" His clenched fists trembled on his lap. "That's what I would have thought."

"Then try it," she whispered. His lips parted in a silent question. "Touch me."

He took a deep breath then raised his hand to her cheek, cupping her face, and gently stroked her skin with his fingers. His touch was cold and shaky, yet gentle and comforting.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"It's everything I expected…" His dilated pupils were barely distinguishable from the deepened blue of his eyes and she felt her skin growing hot under his gaze. Slowly, he leaned forward and as her eyes fluttered shut, his mouth claimed hers.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and drew her closer; his lips were warm and pillow-soft, his tongue hesitant at first, then pulsing against hers with desperate need. Nearly whimpering at the sensations, she clutched a fistful of his shirt, and fell against his chest. It was a kiss as sweet as the ones in her dreams…

Her eyes flew open and she pulled away. His lips chased hers but she turned her head and he ended up kissing her cheek. He pressed kisses towards her mouth but she stopped him with a finger against his lips. His bold stare made her go limp but she forced herself to remain firm. "That night. I thought it was a dream, but all that really happened," she gasped. "Those kisses, on my couch, your… hands…" She instinctively curled her fingers upon her collar.

His arms loosened around her but didn't let go. "… Sorry. I shouldn't have, but at that moment... I simply acted without thinking. I'm sorry."

"You lied to me," she pointed out. "They say you never lie."

"It wasn't so much a lie as… an omission of the truth." He fidgeted, one eye twitching.

"Which in spirit, is basically a lie."

He coughed. "Even Mr. Spock employed such methods when the occasion called for it."

"Mr. Spock?" She raised an eyebrow. "Is that one of those cheap science fiction characters?"

"Cheap science fiction?!" His eyebrow shot up as well.

"Never mind what I said." She inched away and he slowly released her. "Why did you lie to me?"

"You were crying then," he reminded her. "I didn't want you to cry."

"Sheldon…" She closed her eyes once more and tilted her chin up. He took the cue and kissed her again. When he embraced her close, she scooted on his lap, straddling him. Barely stopping for breaths, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him as she had always longed to do. She sucked on his lower lip, making him shudder and gasp.

"Amy," he murmured against her lips. "I can't... last time I was able to stop," he gulped, "this time, I wouldn't be able to."

She looked into his frightened yet excited eyes, and nodded. Resisting the urge to give him one last kiss, she sat beside him, their bodies touching all along one side.

"Please tell me what's going to happen now," he pleaded.

She tugged at the hem of her rumpled skirt, glancing away guiltily. "I don't know either."

"What would you have me do? Tell me."

Before she could speak, there was a scuffle from the door. They both looked up to see Raj with a bouquet of flowers and a resigned expression. "I knew you meant it was over," he said. "But I didn't think you'd be so quick about this." He turned around and walked away.

"Raj," she called, standing up. A hand on her sleeve halted her.

"Can't you stay?" Sheldon whispered.

"No, Sheldon. We... can't be together." she sighed. "Not like this. I don't want you to lose your friends."

"I already lost them," he murmured. "I just want _you_."

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "They're like your family and you need them. But we can't go on like this, it's turning everyone against each other."

"But Amy—"

"That's what I'd have you do," she told him. "Make peace with your friends. Don't let everything be ruined because of me. That's not something Sheldon Cooper would do."

Amy left the laboratory and found Raj pacing outside the building, the flowers strewn a few feet behind him. She picked up the bouquet before approaching him. Without facing her, he asked: "Are we done?"

"Only if you say so."

**Author's Notes:** After the season premiere, I was half-ecstatic and half-wanting a cute and cuddly Sheldon plushie I can stick pins and needles into. I foresee an emotional rollercoaster for this season.

To those who are suffering because of this story: there, there, hold on—it's coming to a close. Despite the ever-present writer's block and the thousand item must-do list, I squeezed this out before the episode so the (hopefully) happy canon Shamy will ease the angst from your system. See, I'm not that mean.


	19. One Answer

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XXIX: One Answer**

Sheldon and Leonard headed for their usual table, lunch trays in hand. They both slowed down when they caught sight of Raj and Howard, both holding bagged lunches.

"… And she hasn't even talked to me since then," Howard hissed.

"Did you try talking to her?" Raj asked.

"Well, no—but she was the one who called off the wedding!" The little Jew exclaimed. "She owes me an explanation. Anyway, are things any better with you?"

"You don't have to ask about me," Raj insisted. "After all, I'm not the one who had my wedding broken off."

"Okay then—"

"But since you asked," Raj sighed. "We haven't really had a good talk about it, but we've been talking on the phone, about… things like, what happened to our day, and we had dinner a couple of times, and I dropped by her lab for lunch once…" The two men noticed Sheldon and Leonard. Raj quickly glanced away while Howard made a sound like a poodle trying to be intimidating, then they both took seats at a far corner of the cafeteria.

Sheldon had to try twice to swallow the lump in his throat. As they resumed walking to their table, Leonard said: "It's not your fault, Sheldon."

"I didn't say it was," he said defensively.

His best friend nodded, understandingly. The lump returned in his throat.

* * *

><p><em>Sheldon had mapped out their course for the entire museum trip, but in the end, Amy grabbed his hand, despite his complaints, and led him to a section that he had left out of his plans. The halls were lined with… love. Stories of love. Despite her intelligence she was really a fan of such hippy-dippy things. He felt vaguely uncomfortable, surrounded by so many displays of tight embraces, intimate touches, and tender kisses. She had then released his hand and walked ahead of him, her eyes shining as she went from one display to another.<em>

_She sighed, entranced by a sculpture of Romeo and Juliet. "It's so romantic."_

_"How are they even considered an icon of so-called true love?" he groused. "They were merely children. I highly disliked both characters."_

_"But she loved him," she said. "She did everything in her means to be with him, she never once wavered. In many ways, she was the strongest person in that play."_

_"Too bad for her," he sniffed. "Who's to say that if they had lived, Romeo wouldn't have moved on to some other young lady, as he apparently had a tendency to do so?"_

_"You're right," she agreed. "But is love no longer considered true if it's not reciprocated?"_

_He didn't have an answer and she didn't wait for one, moving on to the next display: a young man fixated on his reflection and a nymph watching over him. Echo and Narcissus. "At least they loved the same thing. I think… it's also beautiful how she loves somebody who can only love himself."_

_His instincts made him jump into speaking, to tell her something: he was sure he couldn't afford not to."Amy," he quickly said. "I… am only second-guessing, but it's also not wrong to think that perhaps the young Romeo had indeed mended his ways since he had met the right young lady. Perhaps if they had lived, they would've indeed lived happily together."_

_She smiled wistfully at him. "I would like to think the same thing." Slowly, he reached for her hand, but she continued walking down the hall. He grasped the air for a moment, confused, then hurried after her. He couldn't let her leave him behind._

_She stopped so suddenly that he nearly bumped into her. He caught himself just in time, his nose nearly touching the top of her shiny, delicious-smelling hair. He quickly took a step backward. She was frozen on the spot. The rest of the hall was blocked. "Oh," she whispered. "It looks like there's nowhere for us to go from here." At the disappointment in her voice, he felt the urge to knock down the velvet rope. "I guess we should've stayed on course."_

_"No…" his words were strangled by the tightness in his throat. "It's okay_—_"_

_But she had already turned around and brushed past him. "I guess we'd just have to go back the way we came from."_

_Her retreating form_—_slightly hunched, purposeful, so small next to him and becoming smaller and smaller with the distance_—_he had never realized how much he hated it. She should be at his side._

_"Wait, we don't have to!" he cried; his voice echoed in the wide hall but he didn't care. "Amy, please, stay with me, marry me, make a family with me, be with me_—_always!"_

_She halted mid-step but didn't look back. For one horrible moment, he thought she would proceed as if nothing had happened._ Why wouldn't she, _he shook his head_, after all, that's what I would've done…

_He couldn't let her. "Did you hear me?"_

_"It… appears I did," she replied. "I wasn't sure if…" his breath left him when she finally faced him_—_her green eyes, her smooth hair… the way she wins their little debates, her rare touches when he allowed her, the fact that she had never called him crazy, how she understood him when everyone else didn't, her being brave enough to succumb to emotional responses when it would be far safer__ not to do so_—_he liked everything about her. He always had but he had never acknowledged it until that very moment. He shivered. What if he had been five minutes, five seconds too late?_

_What if he was already too late?_

_What if all that was left for them was to go back the way they had come from?_

Sheldon woke up gasping, sitting up and clawing at the sheets. What had been her answer? He desperately wanted to know…

"No, I… I don't have to," he mumbled. "That wasn't me, it was…"

He laid back in bed, drawing a hand across his forehead. Another Sheldon with another Amy. It was one of the many thems, or what they could become. All this time, whenever he had caught glimpses of another world, he had felt… jealousy. For that other him who could be with that other her. He had thought_: 'I could've done so much better…' _'_If only we could switch places…'_ But then he'd be living the life of a Sheldon who had hurt his Amy. Despite this world's Amy's conjecture that she would've been happy with him anyway, he had still seen another Amy get hurt. Did he really want to be the Sheldon who had her, and might have to go back the way they had come from?

He could agree with the Girl in the Red Straw Hat on one thing: He can't do anything for all the other Amys.

But he could still do something for _his_ Amy.

* * *

><p>Sheldon and Leonard sat on opposite ends of the couch, staring at the TV as it played <em>Star Trek: The Next Generation. <em>There was a quick knock on the door and Penny peeked in cautiously. "Hey guys… is it okay if I come in?"

"Sure," Leonard said.

"We don't have food," Sheldon automatically said. Neither of them felt much like eating…

"That's perfect then, because I brought some." She held up a bag from the Cheesecake Factory.

"Thanks," Leonard said.

Sheldon shook his head. "We're not hungry."

"Sheldon," his best friend sighed. "Just say 'thank you.'"

"Thank you," he echoed.

Penny sat between them, putting the bag on the coffee table. "Well Sheldon, when you get hungry, I have your usual hamburger there."

"Thank you, but no thank you," he said. "It's not Thursday."

Penny rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything more. The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at the television. Then she asked: "I guess you haven't seen the other guys?"

"We have seen them," Leonard remarked. "Around Caltech, we just haven't talked to them."

She nodded. "I haven't talked to Bernadette either. Or," Sheldon felt her eyes flicker towards him momentarily before returning to the TV screen, "or Amy…"

Sheldon's left hand tightened on the armrest. The last time he had seen Amy, she had kissed him with as much fervor as he felt, and yet in the end she said that they couldn't be together. He'd often heard other men talk about how confusing women are, but he had never sympathized with them until now. He glanced at Penny, who had presently somehow ended up closer to Leonard's side. _How does Leonard manage?_

"Come on boys, we're going to eat sushi at this great little hole-in-a-wall near Koreatown." Penny banged her fists on the couch and jumped up. "My treat."

"But you already brought food here..." Leonard muttered.

"I don't want to go outside," Sheldon droned.

"It would be good for both of you," Penny insisted.

"Quite the opposite," Sheldon retorted. "I doubt the culinary integrity of sushi made by people in and around Koreatown—simply because ethnically they're the neighbors of the people responsible for sushi doesn't make them any more qualified to prepare the dish. Additionally, I don't doubt a sushi place you can actually afford to take us to would pose a health hazard."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll show you a health hazard—"

"Penny," Leonard interjected. "Thanks for the offer, but we're good."

"No, you're not," she said. "I'm really worried about you two, this isn't good for you, I should know, I've been there. Please?" Penny gave Leonard a look that was similar to, but not quite like, the persuasive, wide-eyed gaze that in another world, Amy would direct at Sheldon, rendering him unable to say 'no.' Sheldon shook his head.

"Alright," Leonard agreed. "We do need to eat, and sushi is healthier than burgers," he explained defensively, under Sheldon's glare.

* * *

><p>"That was good, wasn't it?" Penny grinned.<p>

Leonard smiled back. "It certainly was. Thanks for dinner."

"You both would've done well to limit yourselves to the egg, shrimp, and imitation crab stick plates," Sheldon said.

"But that's the only place that has tuna sushi at that price!" Penny exclaimed.

"And that's precisely why one shouldn't eat their tuna sushi," he said.

"It was really good, Sheldon," Leonard said.

"Fair warning, I fully intend to say 'I told you so' when the two of you come down with food poisoning," he said.

His companions shook their heads. "Your loss," Penny sniffed. She suddenly jumped and pointed across the street. "Those clothes are so cute! Let's take a look!" She linked her arm with Leonard's and dragged him off.

"And that collectibles store has a sale," he observed. She swatted his shoulder.

Sheldon watched them go, not the least bit infected by their renewed enthusiasm. He glanced at the assorted TVs displayed by the electronics store beside him. It was playing an anime movie he had once glimpsed at the comic book store. It was the story of a high school student whose world was shaken up by his extraordinary classmate. He complained about what she was doing to him, but one day, she disappeared—or rather, he found himself in a world where she wasn't beside him. In a different world, the girl was with one of their friends, that guy who was more willing and able to follow her wishes. But the student… he wasn't very happy about that. Sheldon never did find out how it ended...

Now the protagonist was trying to return to that old world and was asking himself if he actually _liked_ being with that girl. "Isn't it obvious," Sheldon griped. "You wouldn't have stayed with her all that time if you didn't want to."

_"Don't ask me something so obvious!"_ The subtitles under the male student stated as he yelled.

Sheldon chuckled weakly.

_"No matter how many times you ask me, my answer will stay the same: Of course."_

"You'd even change your entire world for her, wouldn't you?"

"Sheldon!" Penny's voice rang behind him. He heard running footsteps approach him. "Leonard found some rare sword or something at that shop, and that bitchy ginger says it's a really good deal, and he wants you to take a look at it."

Still transfixed at the suffering hero of the anime, he muttered: "You know how there's that one special person who seems to be made for you, or maybe you're the one made for them? And when you meet them, your entire reality changes, or maybe you're just truly seeing everything for the first time. And yet you can accept how things have changed as long as you can be with them, or maybe things have changed precisely because you're with them and you're strangely fine with that. And _that_ is what really scares you and you don't know what to do and you run."

"Yes," she said, "I know."

"You'd rather run because they make everything so much better that you can't bear the thought of them leaving. They make you better, you're at your best when you're with them. How can you even lose them? You end up throwing them away, but what you should really do is hold on to them."

"Yeah… I should." Came Penny's whisper.

"And there are other people who would like to take that place beside them, possibly better than you in some ways," he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "and yet no matter how selfish that may seem to other people, you just can't let it be, you need to be with them, you want to try to be the person who can make them happy, you can't let anyone else be with them—"

"No, I can't let her have him!"

Her heavy footsteps thudded away and there was the loud screeching of tires and several car horns bleared. Sheldon tore his gaze away from the TVs. Cars were braked haphazardly across the street and many of the drivers were leaning out, shouting angrily, but Penny paid them no heed. She ran straight towards Leonard, who stood outside the collectibles store holding a model katana and talking to his red-headed friend named Holly. "Leonard!" she screamed. "I love you!"

Leonard gaped at her: "What—" His question was cut off when she kissed him. The girl named Holly frowned. Once the traffic cleared up, Sheldon crossed the street. His friends were smiling at each other: Leonard looking rather dazed and Penny clinging to him.

Holly huffed. "Wow, Leonard has mentioned that you flaked out on him a lot—"

"I didn't say that," Leonard cut in."

"Not in so many words, but that's what you meant," she said, narrowing her eyes at Penny. "Pushing him away and then pulling this kind of stunt, don't you feel sorry for him?"

"You're right," Penny admitted. "I haven't been good to Leonard at all. But even if I suck at showing it, even if I had such a hard time saying it, I really love him. I know there are a lot of smart girls like you who would like to be his girlfriend, but sorry, I don't plan to let him go. Ever."

"Whatever." She turned and waved. "Bye Leonard, and good luck. If you ever get tired of Blondie, there are plenty of nice girls out there who'd love to treat you right."

"Bye!" Penny called after her. Under her breath, she added: "Ginger female dog."

Leonard blinked at her. "Did you mean all that?"

"Of course I did," she nodded. "I've messed up for so long, but you have to give me a chance to make it up to you, you won't regret it!"

"Excuse me, but I came here for a sword?" Sheldon reminded them.

The couple exchanged ecstatic grins and told him: "We're getting it for you, Shelly."

* * *

><p>They both crouched in the mist: the Girl in the Red Straw Hat curled her hands on her knees and rested her chin on them, while Sheldon propped himself with his fists on the cold ground. "What could you be planning, Sheldon Cooper?" she asked. "She already said that you can't be together like this. Do you plan to disregard her wishes?"<p>

"No," he declared. "I would never… not anymore. I'll do as she wishes of me. If we can't be together in this world, then I'll change this world until it will let us be together."

She cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "Oh? How interesting."

"Indeed…" he slowly stood up, towering over her, and yet she still observed him with the amused curiosity of a child pushing a stick in an insect's path and watching it squirm. "If it's for Amy, I should be able to do it."

She tilted her head and giggled, not unkindly. "Very well, Sheldon Cooper. Have at it."

**Author's Notes:** Writer's block, more like writer's Great Wall of China. I overcame it less like a horde of invading nomads and more like a clumsy ninja that got lucky. Anyway, I drop this update before the new episode comes out and I get too caught up in fluffy feels to want to update a fic flooded with angsty feels. OMG Wil Wheaton! I think many of you know how I feel about him. (Note: It's L-O-V-E.)

By the way, if anyone was wondering about that anime movie, I was referring to something that actually exists. It's "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" which follows the anime "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya." And the initial idea for this fanfic had a lot more in common with it than its current form.


	20. Who do you love?

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XX. Who do you love?**

_I can't wait for tonight. :) :)_

While Amy was sure that Raj meant the thought in his message, the redundant smileys made her think that he was probably overcompensating for some doubt or anxiety. _But no matter… _She strode down the grocery aisle determinedly, pushing a huge cart. _Tonight, everything will go well. No snags this time. _

She had decided beforehand to cook spaghetti with tomato-based sauce—it was hearty, delicious, and would go with a romantic mood, but still simple enough to keep dinner casual. She got the noodles and tomato sauce. _Meat, for a good Bolognese sauce._ On her way to get the meat, she picked up a package of hotdogs on impulse. _This might go nicely with the sauce… or not._ She remembered an offhand comment about cut-up hotdogs in spaghetti. She frowned. Despite his geeky characteristics, Raj was quite sophisticated, and it wouldn't do to serve him a meal for more juvenile tastes.

"Maybe I should just go with steaks," she murmured, dropping the hotdogs in the cart. "He likes hamburgers. He probably likes steaks too." She grabbed two generous servings of rib eye and wheeled away.

_Dessert. _She should probably go with crème brûlée for dessert; that would show how she was willing to put effort into their relationship. Passing by rows of nuts, she thought how lovely pecan pie would be. Or chocolate chip cookies. But Raj would hardly find those impressive. She looked alternately at a bunch of vanilla beans in one hand and a jar of pecans in the other.

"Big night ahead?"

She glanced up. A petite young woman was checking her cart and gave her a bright smile. She couldn't help smiling back. "Um, yes."

The stranger clasped her hands demurely behind her back, and tilted her head innocently. "You have a strange assortment of items here…"

"Yeah… I thought about making spaghetti with hotdogs, but then I thought I'd go with steak, and I was going to make crème brûlée, but pecan pie seems so good…"

"Who are you trying to cook for, anyway?"

Amy stuttered and she quickly fished out the spaghetti ingredients. "Er, it's… well, my boyfriend. He, umm, likes beef, I think."

"I see. And who likes spaghetti with hotdogs?" the girl asked.

She pressed her lips tightly together. That was something she heard from Sheldon, one time they all had dinner at an Italian diner. "Just thought of… something, someone said."

"Oh..?"

Suddenly, Amy felt annoyed with the strange young lady. Who was she to grill Amy about tonight's plans anyway? "I don't expect you to understand. Yes, I was thinking of him, but I have a boyfriend, a wonderful, wonderful man, and he deserves so much, just because I'm drawn to somebody else doesn't mean…" Realizing she had said too much, she stopped, her mouth hanging in horror.

The stranger stared at her with round, dark eyes. "So… two guys, huh?"

"It's not like that," she said in a rush. "It's-it's… it's complicated."

"I doubt it is so," the girl said.

"Yes it is."

"Well, there's a simple question that's key to solving your predicament." The girl grinned. "Who do you love?"

Amy started, drew a breath, and after a while, reasoned: "It's not that simple…"

She shrugged. "Hey you know, some people make pecan pie with those newfangled recipes that leave out corn syrup, but you really shouldn't do that, it's much better with corn syrup, why must people complicate things, huh?" When she drew her hands up from behind her, they clutched a red straw hat—she wore it and walked away.

Amy shook her head to clear it. _No… it will be okay. _Without bothering to take out the superfluous ingredients, she hurried to the checkout.

* * *

><p>"<em>Amy, will you look at this—" he gestured to the diagram on the wall and threw up his hands in despair. "It seems they did not heed my strongly worded letter about taking down this inaccurate 'map of the tongue' diagram which makes me certain that they have ignored my second instruction, which is to send memos to every child who walked these halls about how they have employed that common misconception in their display."<em>

"_While I agree with your sentiments, this is a children's museum, hardly hallowed ground for true science," she reasoned. "It would be difficult to find an employee here who would care to make the correction."_

"_It's thanks to that complacent attitude that this generation would continue the tradition of being bombarded with erroneous information, only finding out the truth when it's already difficult to unlearn the faulty basics!" He was flushed, blue eyes bright, and he was practically bouncing on his toes._

_She couldn't suppress her giggle. He rolled his eyes in exasperation and he huffed—his attempt to express dissatisfaction only made him look even more adorable. He ran both hands through his short brown hair then turned to the group of preschool students standing before the diagram. "All of you, please do your part in stamping out these pseudoscientific nonsense."_

_Watching him explain to the children that receptors for every basic taste can be found all over the tongue and that there were in fact five tastes instead of four, she smiled. The little children listened to the lecture intently. He only sent them on their way after they had asked him at three relevant questions._

"_You're surprisingly good with children," she remarked as she walked beside him. Lightly brushing her hand against his at first, she then held his hand tentatively._

"_Only with very young ones." He quickly made a U-turn and their hands unlinked as the distance increased between them. She smiled wryly, willing herself not to let it bother her. From beside a suggestion box, he grabbed a feedback form and pocketed it. "Very young kids tend to be excited about all new knowledge and receptive to the information I supply them."_

_He slowly resumed following the helpful arrows on the halls and stopped when he realized that she wasn't beside him. "What are you doing?"_

_She walked through an elevator and held out her hand. "Come with me."_

"_But Amy…" he visibly swallowed and looked around._

"_It's okay," she whispered, smiling reassuringly._

"_No, it isn't, you're just saying that."_

_She dropped her outstretched hand with a sigh. Within seconds, the elevator doors beeped and, no longer sensing any obstacles, began to close._

"_No, wait—wait for me!" He ran at a speed she didn't know he was capable of, and she gaped as she watched, before the door slid shut._

_DING-DONG!_

She nearly fell off the couch as she awoke from the sound of the doorbell. Hurriedly smoothing down her new blouse and loosely curled hair, Amy opened the door. "Good evening."

"Good evening." Raj handed her a three-piece arrangement: a white rose, a pink rose, and a red rose. Whispering her thanks, she grabbed a vase from under her sink and placed the roses in it.

They sat down to dinner, asking each other about how the day's work went as they ate their herbed steaks with red wine. They have been keeping the conversation light for the past few occasions they met, following the disastrous fitting and the lab incident with Sheldon. Amy knew that neither of them wanted to break the tentative harmony, but the longer it went on, the more she found it difficult to start an honest conversation.

Raj polished off the steak; for her part, Amy didn't feel like eating the entire slab of beef and left half. She took the crème brûlée ramekins out of the refrigerator and torched the tops to crisp shells, while he watched the entire time with sparkling, excited eyes.

"Wow, I love crème brûlée and I often make it, but I've never had anyone make it for me before." He rubbed his hands when she set it before him, and immediately cracked the top and took a bite. The smile disappeared from his face and he tilted his head.

Amy winced. "Is it bad?"

"N-No, it's delicious!" he insisted through the unswallowed mouthful. She tried a spoonful and cringed. The custard was still runny, instead of having a creamy, velvety texture. He gulped down the dessert and said: "It's not completely set, but the flavor is good and the shell is perfectly caramelized. It's hard to get everything perfect the first time."

Still wanting to satisfy her sugar cravings, she pulled out some frozen chocolate chip cookie dough balls and laid out a batch for baking. "Would you like some cookies as well?" He nodded. While waiting for the cookies, they exchanged notes about how to make crème brûlée, and how they found tonight's steak dinner and the accompanying wine. When the cookies were done, Amy served them in a plate with two glasses of milk and immediately ate two pieces. Raj took a bite from a cookie and balanced it on the edge of the plate.

"Would you like something else?" she asked.

"No," he said. "It's really good."

"But..?"

He shrugged and grinned wryly. "I guess chocolate chip cookies aren't a very good fit with steak."

After her third cookie, she drank some milk and steeled herself. It was now or never. "Raj… I think, we should talk about us."

He looked down at his half-eaten cookie, his shoulders drooping. "You want to break up, right?"

She pushed up her glasses. "Um, no, actually… look, I'll prove it to you." She grabbed his hands and pulled him in the direction of her bedroom. He made stuttering noises as he allowed himself to be dragged along, but stood firm at the entrance.

"Amy, we don't have to."

_Yes, we do._ Instead of replying, she kissed him and while he was distracted, pulled him inside the room. She made him sit down on the bed, sat down beside him, and kissed him again. He began to respond and when they broke apart, gazed straight into her eyes. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. Gently, he pushed her on the bed and started undoing her buttons. He hovered over her, swallowed hard, then nudged her thighs apart with a knee, settling between them.

When he had finished unbuttoning her blouse, he pulled it open with a snap. She inadvertently let out a whimper, not of pleasure but of distress, and cowered against the sheets, instinctively trying to close her legs.

He froze, his hands still on her shirt. "Amy," he said in hushed tones. "It's okay. I won't hurt you."

She nodded and bit her lip. He kissed her forehead, her temple, her cheek, while his hands moved to her chest, his fingers grazing the edge of her bra. She remembered… Sheldon. Kissing her, holding her, touching her. Another sob escaped her lips.

Raj pulled away, shifting to kneel beside her. "Wait! I'm sorry…" she grabbed his hands and directed them to her chest, but he pulled her shirt close and started buttoning it up. "Raj?"

"Amy, I don't think we should do this now…" he sighed. "Or ever."

"Huh?" His words didn't immediately sink in, but when they did, she felt a distinct lack of surprise. "You're breaking up with me."

"Yeah…" he nodded. "It's because I'm me… not the person you want. And you're you… you don't feel that way about me." She opened her mouth to protest, but he looked straight into her eyes and asked her: "Who do you love?"

No answer came from her parted lips.

"You don't even need to reply. We both know the answer to that question."

"It's my fault," she whispered.

He shrugged. "No one can help the way they feel. Although, I wish you hadn't let things come to this."

She sighed; since meeting his friends—since meeting Sheldon—she had repeatedly gone through myriad emotions that she didn't even have any more tears now. "Thank you for everything. And I'm sorr—"

Raj put a finger to her lips. "Please don't. Saying sorry makes it sound like you regret the time we have spent together. I hope you don't. Because I don't. It was nice having somebody by my side, even for a while."

She shook her head. "Raj… the first man to ask me to be his girlfriend, to hold my hand, to hug me and kiss me… it was all you. And I'm thankful that it was you." She smiled. "Before I met you, I didn't even think that I could be desired as a girlfriend by anyone. I certainly didn't think that I was worth the time and effort you've dedicated to our relationship. But you're wonderful… I'm just Amy Farrah Fowler, but you treated me well."

He chuckled. "You've got it wrong. It's because you're Amy Farrah Fowler that you should be treated that way. You know, you're that woman who could even attract Sheldon Cooper." At the mention of that name, she winced, but Raj placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just promise me one… no, two things. One, despite how you and Sheldon feel about each other, in this kind of situation… I can't tell you not to be with him, but… right now, it doesn't seem to be a good idea. And two, when you do end up with Sheldon, please don't let him be less than the man that you deserve."

"You need not worry about that," she whispered, but nodded in assent anyway.

He squeezed her shoulder. "One for the road?" Leaning closer, he pressed a kiss upon her forehead. Then he picked up his sweater vest and headed out the door.

Amy flopped back on her bed, utterly relieved, but now feeling the emptiness of the space to her right more keenly than ever.

**Author's Notes:** Hold your fire folks, the Ramy is no more. It was hard to write this chapter. *shudder* Oh well, on to more Shamy.


	21. Step one, step two

**The Star-Crossed Glitch**

**XXI. Step one, step two**

Sheldon reached Howard's door with a tightly wrapped and bound stack of comic books in his left arm. He considered leaving the package with a note. That seemed acceptable. He fished out a pen and a notepad out of his messenger bag, scribbled quick apology note, and tucked it under the string. Setting the package on the doormat, he rang the bell and fled, hiding behind a tree in the lawn and peering out.

Howard opened the door and looked around. "WHO IS IT!" Came Mrs. Wolowitz' rough voice.

"NO ONE MA!" He screamed back, and he was about to reenter the house when he spotted the package. He picked it up and read the note. He gnashed his teeth with a savage roar and flung the comic books out of the porch and on the lawn, before slamming the door behind him.

Fretfully, Sheldon opened the package and examined the comic books for damage. Relieved that the packaging saved even the delicate corners, he cradled the comics and braced himself. Just as he brought up a hand to knock, he turned around and walked all the way back to the sidewalk. He took a deep breath and stalked back to the door, only to turn around at the last minute. It went on for several times, until finally, he knocked before he had time to turn around.

_Knock, knock, knock, _"Howard."  
><em>Knock, knock, knock, <em>"Howard."  
><em>Knock, knock, knock, <em>"Howard."

His Vulcan hearing registered footsteps that stopped at the other side of the door. There were a few seconds of shuffling, then the door opened. Howard scowled up at him and barked: "What do you want?!"

He gestured at the pile in arms. "Howard, these are mint condition rare issues, I don't think one needs to have a PhD to know proper treatment—"

"Shut up!"

He blinked. "Well… I'm fairly sure your mother didn't teach you that as proper behavior in the face of an apology."

"An apology?" Howard grabbed the note on the comic books and read: _"Howard, My bad. Here, have some comic books."_ He widened his eyes threateningly.

Sheldon gulped. "As you know, sentimental words aren't my forte, which is why I have the comic books to convey my regret."

"I don't want your stupid comic books."

He held the comics close to his chest. "Okay, okay. What do you want then? You want to temporarily have the rights to my spot—"

"NO, SHELDON!" Howard roared, throwing his head back and flailing his arms.

"Then, what?"

The smaller man slumped, his apparent size diminished even further. "You can't help me. Bernadette already said no."

"The wedding," Sheldon said. "You want the wedding to continue as planned."

"It's not even that," Howard sighed. "If only she didn't give up so easily. If only she gave us a fair chance. Even if she wanted the wedding on hold again, as long as she'd stay with me."

"So… Bernadette…" Sheldon nodded thoughtfully. He spun on his feet and started to leave, but Howard yelled after him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I, uh…"

"You're here to say sorry, but you haven't given me an actual apology."

"But the note…"

"Sucked," Howard stated plainly.

"Fine." Sheldon puffed out a breath. "I'm sorry if your wedding was ruined because Raj heard you interrogating me and threw a hissy fit." Howard rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry Bernadette dumped you because Amy almost dumped Raj." Howard shook his head, and Sheldon feared he might leave and grabbed his sleeve. "Wait." He visualized Amy's face… she wouldn't approve of this roundabout business either. He had to be honest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I let things get out of hand and that our social group is now fragmented. I'm sorry that I flouted the so-called 'Bro Code' and developed feelings for a woman pairbonded to a friend. I'm sorry that even now, I can't deny those feelings nor give up on her. You are all my friends and irreplaceable parts of our social circle. But I wish for Amy to take that place beside me. I don't expect you to understand. And I'm sorry."

Howard closed his eyes, muttering unintelligibly, then looked straight at Sheldon. "You know what the crazy part is? I get it."

"What's it?"

"Why you did it. The truth is, if Bernadette had agreed to go through with marrying me, then I wouldn't care about this entire mess, I would've gone through with it and worried about everything else later. So… I never thought I'd ever say this, but I do understand you."

"She said… she wanted…" Sheldon forced his voice past the lump in his throat. "She has a kind and gentle heart. She hopes that the relationships in our group could be mended. For this reason, she said that we can't be together. I…" He squared his shoulders. "If I could fix everything, then one day, maybe, I can see her again, can't I?"

"Wow, Sheldon." Howard chuckled wryly. "I should be angry for Raj, but this is too incredible. Who would have known, the dating site was right." Sheldon managed a one-sided grin. He started to leave again, and Howard stopped him again. "Hey!"

"What is it now?"

Howard crooked a finger. "The comic books." Sheldon pursed his lips and reluctantly handed them over. "Don't think this means you're off the hook." Sheldon opened his mouth to object, but held his tongue when Howard glared. "But it's a start. And I still expect to have rights to your spot."

Sheldon couldn't hold back a gasp. "But earlier, you said—"

"Are you sorry, or are you not sorry?" Howard demanded.

Sheldon stared at his feet. "I'm sorry." He walked away, muttering: "Buck up, Cooper, the next one is even tougher."

* * *

><p>"HOW DARE YOU COME HERE, SHELDON COOPER!"<p>

Texan training with his father and older brother kicked in, and Sheldon ducked out of the way of a flying footstool, an airborne pair of high-heeled shoes, and a hardbound book on bacterial diseases. Now barefoot, Bernadette stomped out of her apartment and he instinctively backed away; if he hadn't been her target, he would've been amazed at how she seemed to double in height. He was honestly scared that she would morph into an angry shade of green.

"Bernadette, if you must express your anger through physical force, I entreat you to hit my left side since my dominant right side is far too precious—OW!" He nursed his right arm, shocked by her strength. She raised her fist again and he shrank back, wincing. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

She punched her fist into her open palm. "And what exactly are you sorry for?"

"I ruined everything. Not directly and not intentionally, but nonetheless, the chaotic state of our social group is my fault. I'm sorry."

She relaxed her hands at her sides and he breathed a sigh of relief. "So you came here to apologize?"

"Yes, but that's not all…" He clasped his hands behind his back and drew himself to his full height. "Bernadette, I think it would be in everyone's best interests if you talk to Howard with the intent of resuming your relationship to restore the harmony in our group."

"What?!" She bared her teeth and huffed in outrage, raising her fist again. "How dare you?! You think _you_ have any right to say what's good for other people?!" He cringed but stood firm. She exhaled loudly and returned to a non-threatening stance. "After what happened, you think that would solve everything?"

"No," he admitted. "But it would make both of you considerably happier and it's the first logical step to take, if we wish to keep our merry band together."

"You think it would make us happier?" she echoed. "Why?"

He uttered a long suffering exclamation. "Must I continue to spell out the obvious for everyone? Bernadette, correct me if I'm wrong, but looking at Howard makes you feel both strong and weak. It's exciting and terrifying and you want to be the person by his side. Even if everything around you changes, as long as he's there, the only constant thing in the universe, it would be okay. It's like… with my spot. A safe resting place."

She gaped at him. "How do you know that?"

"Because… I know how that feels."

She snorted. "Because of your spot."

"No, because of _someone_," he clarified.

"But what if everything does change?" she squeaked. "Will that person still be there?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. But it makes even less sense to push them into leaving when you should be doing whatever you can to make them stay."

"Sheldon Cooper…" she adjusted her glasses and narrowed her eyes at him. "I've never seen you like this before."

"Would you at least consider my suggestion?" He started down the hall and Bernadette yelled after him.

"WAIT!"

He glanced back. She was wringing her hands.

"Sheldon, you really… Amy, you really have feelings for her, right?"

"That's a bit of an understatement, but yes."

She almost looked as if she was trying to tear her hands off her wrists, then she stopped and tightly clasped the hem of her cardigan. "You know, they broke up. Raj and Amy."

"Huh?" he murmured, suddenly unable to speak properly.

"Raj and Amy broke up. I saw it on Facebook, and both Penny and Amy sent me text messages about it." Her eyes darted around guiltily. "Which, I haven't replied to. Anyway…" she gave him a small smile. "Amy's free to be with whoever she wants to be. But I still think you should talk to Raj, man-to-man."

He smiled back, feeling the constant weight on his shoulders disappear. "Thank you for telling me." He proceeded down the hallway with a spring in his step.

* * *

><p>"Have you noticed that slightly handsome, slightly weird-looking man following us?" the woman with short black hair asked the rest of the group. The women looked over their shoulders at him and started tittering. At the edge of their group, Amy shuffled with her head bowed.<p>

"Who could he be?"

Sheldon tried to walk nonchalantly, glancing around as if he belonged in the halls of UCLA, and keeping a manageable distance between himself and the group from Amy's lab. The woman beside Amy giggled especially loud. Finally, she looked up and followed the other women's gawking. She started and whipped her head round back. The group entered the cafeteria.

Walking as slowly as he could, he waited until the women had filled their trays and settled into a table. Amy straggled behind them. There was only one seat at a corner left, so Sheldon took a seat diagonally across the aisle, in the next table, out of the seat's line-of-sight and unpacked his lunch.

Raj hadn't reported at Caltech that day. The auto-response in his email stated that he would be in London on family business for the rest of the week. Sheldon had nearly deflated, but he had forced himself to keep his spirits up. There would be time to talk to Raj. For now, he was really missing Amy, and thought he would see her at lunch, even if she wouldn't see him.

He heard footsteps behind him and watched her take the seat, pointedly looking away from him. She arranged and rearranged the items on her tray as her companions chatted and still stole glances at him. Eventually, she stood up and approached him. "Sheldon, what are you doing here?"

He deliberately chewed his burger, hoping she'd relax her stance, but her arms remained crossed over her chest. "Umm… eating lunch?"

"Sheldon…" she gazed down at him sadly. "We can't see each other anymore, you know that."

"We aren't," he pointed out. "I see you, and yet you don't see me. That's why I sat here." He gestured at the distance and angle between their respective seats.

She started to say something, closed her mouth, and frowned. After a few minutes, she raised an eyebrow. "Are you… sassing me?"

"No…" he also frowned. "I… don't think so?"

"Dr. Fowler!" The women now gathered around her, all with identical grins. The short-haired lady balanced her tray in one hand and dumped Amy's tray with the other. Amy struggled to keep her tray upright. "We decided to have lunch in the laboratory. But you know, the lounge is cramped so don't bother to come." She winked and they headed for the exit.

"Even Dr. Fowler gets a cute guy, this is so unfair!" someone whined.

"Oh, hush! Maybe if she gets another boyfriend, she won't be such a slave-driver mad scientist."

Sheldon saw the pink hue of her cheeks deepen, and she was about to return to her table only to see it now occupied by a different group of people. The lunch rush had started and the cafeteria was full. He looked at her, to the seat before him, and back at her. She slouched into the seat, murmuring: "If you don't mind."

He rapidly shook his head. "No, not at all." She stared at him for a few moments before bursting into laughter. He was about to ask her why, then he realized that his face was split in an ear-to-ear smile. His face fell when she sobered up.

He tried hard not to sulk. "Do you want me to go?"

"You know I don't," she said softly. "But…"

"You had no choice but to sit in one table with me because everywhere else is full," Sheldon rationalized. "The fact that I missed you and wanted to see you is incidental."

She seemed like she wanted to say something, but then chose to begin eating her lunch. He picked up his burger. No more words were spoken while they finished their meals. He didn't think there was anyone else he could spend time with who wouldn't feel the need to make him speak and fill the silence with empty words.

Amy was drinking the last of her bottled water when her phone beeped. She checked it and her eyes widened in surprise. "It's Bernadette… she says she has talked to Howard, and now she wants to talk to me and Penny." He couldn't help beaming proudly. "Sheldon..?"

"Well, it has been nice having lunch with you, I mean not with you, but having lunch here by myself and with you just happening to be there." He dumped his folded burger wrapper in the paper bag and rolled it shut, and then stood up and left.

_It's all going to be okay, Amy, you'll see._

**Author's ****Notes****:** Thanks for reading. I hope you review, because that's cool.


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